The Antecedent
by Allendra
Summary: Sonic and his friends are trying to stop Eggman's newest plan.Shadow has vowed that he will never love someone as he did Maria, but what if he realizes he loves someone more? Too bad she's a former GUN prisoner who's been sent to betray him. AWARD WINNER
1. Chapter 1 Part 1

**Edit: **When I read back through this, I thought my writing was a little off these first few chapters. I think the pacing is too fast. My writing does improve as the story progresses, and perhaps one day I'll go back and polish it up a little.

**Edit: **_Second Place Winner_ for Best Romance and Best Original Hero in Mystery002's Fanfiction of the Year Contest 2010!Also nominated for best fanfiction – contest pending.

**Hello, everyone! Welcome to the story. As of now, it's rated for violence, and although the rating will stay T it may be for other reasons later, we'll see what happens. 8D I'll also make references to my previous fanfic, ARK, in here, but you won't have to read it to understand and the references will be pertinent to the story. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic**

**Rated T for violence**

* * *

**CH. 1**

Knuckles peered stealthily over the top of the boulder, his purple eyes scanning the night. He took in the wooded area, the thick trees standing still, the black, moonless sky, and the large clearing that housed a silver, egg-shaped building. The air was cool and crisp, the silence being accentuated by the lack of wind. The woods seemed solemn and wise, their stillness occasionally broken by a distant rustle of a bird taking flight.

Knuckles glanced at Sonic beside him. The blue hedgehog was also peering over, the familiar battle fire in his green eyes.

"We'll have to be quiet," Knuckles stated. "If Eggman's in there his robots will easily be able to hear us."

A seductive female voice behind him snapped, "Of course he's in there! Why would I lie?"

Knuckles turned to glare at the bat who sat with her arms crossed. "I don't need any more reasons not to trust you, Rouge."

"I've changed my ways," she said indignantly.

"If you ever-"

"Will you two stop!" Amy exclaimed, crouched further back by Tails. "You're giving me a headache."

The girl hedgehog's shades of pink were darkened in the shadows, and her large wooden hammer lay at her side. The yellow fox watched the rest of them silently, occasionally flicking his two tails.

Sonic shifted his weight to the balls of his feet, obviously ready for action. "It's too far away to see much, but we'll just improvise."

"Great," Knuckles muttered.

They had been informed earlier that day by Rouge that she'd found Eggman's newest base and would assist them in breaking in and stopping whatever he was doing. Sonic and the others knew she was probably after the two Chaos Emeralds Eggman possessed, but Sonic assured them that they'd deal with that later. If Eggman was hiding, it was there duty to find him and attack.

Sonic gestured to Amy and Tails with his white gloved hand. "You two stay here, we'll take care of this. Ready, guys?"

Knuckles grinned darkly, pounding his fists together in a display of masculinity. "Oh, yeah!"

Rouge rolled her eyes.

"You know," Tails said, "Eggman hasn't done anything for awhile. I wonder what he has planned."

Sonic stood up. "How bad can it be?" Then he hopped over the top of the boulder and started running.

Knuckles followed, Rouge flying beside him. As they rapidly approached the building, they saw green robots standing guard.

Sonic dropped into a ball, taking out the nearest one. He bounced up and shot through another, the crash sending pieces of metal flying into the trees.

Knuckles charged one with a mighty roar, abandoning the stealth strategy and relying on his strength. His knuckles shattered machines rapidly, the sounds echoing in the quiet night.

Rouge landed gracefully, checking the outside of the smooth building. With a smirk she spotted a door and began to run to it, calling, "Boys, I found-"

Then the entire structure exploded.

The walls were ripped apart, black smoke billowing out. Heavy chunks of metal crashed into the trees and rolled across the ground. Pieces from the roof fell like rain, and the robots were sent flying.

Sonic looked up from where he'd been knocked onto his back. The smell of the smoke was thick and repulsive, and the sound of the explosion was still echoing in his ears. His body hurt, but he was too dazed to decide if he was seriously injured or not. His green eyes stared up at the sky, the smoke blurring the tops of the trees. But through it he saw a point of light, probably very bright but dulled through the haze. Sonic squinted, making out some sort of machine that vanished into the sky.

Knuckles moaned loudly. "_Ow_. Sonic? Rouge?"

His friend's deep voice brought him to a focus and he gingerly sat up. "Yeah, Knuckles, I'm here. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," the echidna responded, standing. He rubbed his eyes to clear them as the smoke began to disperse. "Where's Rouge?"

"Over here!" called a thoroughly annoyed bat.

Knuckles walked over to her, his body a bit sensitive but otherwise fine. He saw her on the ground, white fur now gray and looking very inconvenienced.

Knuckles looked at her and said with a tone of annoyance that didn't show in his eyes, "Are you hurt?"

"I think so. My leg hurts. The ankle."

Sonic walked over, frowning. "Is it safe to move her?"

Just then Tails and Amy came running up, panic in their eyes.

Amy wrapped her arms tightly around the blue hedgehog. "Are you all right, Sonic?"

He blushed. "Amy, please, I'm fine."

"Hey, Tails," Knuckles said, "Rouge hurt her ankle."

The fox kneeled down by her. He studied the shape of her ankle through her white boot. Then he gently touched it, causing her to cringe. "Can you move it?"

Rouge squeezed her eyes shut and slightly rolled her foot. "Yes, but it still hurts."

"It might be sprained. If you'd like we can take you to Sonic's house and look at it further."

She nodded, sighing. "Okay. Carry me, Knuckles."

The red echidna's jaw dropped, shock crossing his face. "_Me _carry _you_? No way!"

"Oh, just do it and stop complaining!" Amy scolded.

Knuckles reluctantly looped one arm under her knees and the other behind her back. He attempted to keep her at a distance, but she circled her arms around his neck. "Thanks, Knuckie."

His face turned red. "I-you-"

"C'mon," Sonic interrupted. "Let's head back. Wherever Eggman went, he's gone now."

StH

The group made it to Sonic's house, Rouge and Knuckles arguing the entire way. The house was simple but homey and well-kept. Sonic turned on the lights as Knuckles laid Rouge on the sofa, obviously relieved. Tails bounced into the kitchen to get ice.

"So," Amy said, settling into a big chair, "what exactly happened?"

"I don't know," Sonic replied, attempting to dust the ash from him. The smell was starting to settle in the room, so he went to open a window. "Right when we got to the building it blew up. It saw something shoot out, like a rocket or a jet, but it was small. Big enough to hold Eggman, though." The open window let in a cool breeze and that smelled of grass.

"Where would he be going?" Amy wondered aloud.

Tails walked in with his soft step, holding a bag of ice. "It had to have been somewhere far for him to need that much power to take off."

Knuckles knocked his fist together in anger. "We should have gotten there sooner!"

Tails kneeled beside Rouge, holding the ice to her ankle. "Does it feel better?"

Rouge sighed dramatically. "It's difficult to say after Knuckles carried me. He was so rough."

The red echidna snapped a glare at her. "You asked me to carry you."

"I thought you could be a gentleman. Shadow would have taken better care of me."

Knuckles rolled his purple eyes, stomping over to look out the window.

"Speaking of Shadow," Sonic said, turning to the bat, "I haven't seen him for awhile."

"Oh, he's around," Rouge replied. "He mostly keeps to himself, but he's around."

StH

The city lights flashed and shone along the crowded streets, their vibrant multi-colors a stark contrast against the black sky. The noises of cars, people, and music from shops drifted up and became thinner in the air. The smell of concrete and restaurant food was dispersed by a cool wind over the tops of the impermeable skyscrapers. Energy thumped from the streets of the city, but from Shadow's perch on top of a building, the excitement seemed distant and detached. The black hedgehog watched the activity as one might watch passing traffic: casual and uninterested.

His blood red eyes shone in the moonlight, the only thing that graced the sky. No stars were visible because of the sky smog. He was torn between liking and disliking that fact. The stars reminded him of the ARK. But at the time he didn't feel like being reminded.

He had moved on, yes. He was no longer full of pain from his past. But times still arose when he felt . . .lonely.

Shadow glanced around at the sky, hoping to see a flash of bat wings. Rouge was always a good friend. He'd even accept the blue hedgehog's company at the moment.

He heard a soft rumble and turned his head in the direction of the noise. There was a brief flash of light, far off in the black countryside.

Shadow's red eyes narrowed in puzzlement. "What was that?" He asked, his smooth voice cutting into the night.

Then with an agile leap he left the building to investigate.

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**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everybody! 8D**

**Dark-Illusion-Detective: **Yep, poor Shadow has a knack for leaping into danger, lol. Thanks for reviewing!

**Farming Chick: **Glad you liked it, I was rather happy with the way it started, too! ;) Thanks for the review!

**Master Metallix: **Yeah, good thing they weren't inside, lol! Thanks for your review!

**BlueandRedButterflies: **Aw, thanks! About January my style of writing changed pretty dramatically, so I'm glad you like it! Thanks for reviewing!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic**

**Rated T for violence**

* * *

**CH. 2**

Shadow raced through the dark woods, easily avoiding the thick trees. His red eyes glanced around, looking for the source of the explosion he'd heard. It was about an hour before dawn and the woods were entirely still.

At last Shadow could see a clearing ahead. He dashed into it, abruptly stopping himself.

"I found the explosion," he said aloud, just to add noise to the night.

Chunk of metal littered the area, some having knocked down trees. The air was heavy with the smell of smoke. In the center was a heap of rubble. It appeared to be a building that had been blown up.

From surveying the scene Shadow could deduct four things: one, from the shape of the rubble the building had been destroyed from the inside out; two, it had not been a bomb because there were no burn marks or flames; three, no one had died because there was no blood; and four, Eggman had a hand in it because pieces of his robots were everywhere.

Shadow noted the robots were green, meant to camouflage into the trees. So it was Eggman's building and he had been trying to stay hidden.

"It's been a long time since I've heard from you, Doctor," the black hedgehog smirked. "What have you been up to?"

StH

Prison Island was a remote spot off the coast. It was owned by GUN and heavily defended. The agency used this island for, as its name gave away, a prison. What they deemed to be the most dangerous of their foes were locked there, under what, it would seem, was impenetrable security. The island also housed much of their weapons and war machines. Aiding to the defense was that the island was a jungle.

Every prisoner was kept in a separate facility to ensure that no escape was possible. One such place was nestled into a more remote area of the island, several miles from the main base. The building itself, from the outside, looked simple and square. It only appeared to be one-story, but it went several stories below ground. There were also three perimeters set up in a circular fashion around the building, a few miles from each other. The farthest out was a tall barbed wire fence. The second was another fence with guards stationed. And the closest was a line of tanks.

Inside the building, a few GUN soldiers lounged in the security room, eating and talking. They glanced occasionally at the numerous screens from security cameras. There was a flicker, and then all the cameras went black.

"What?" one man exclaimed.

There was instant panic in the room, the guards messing with the computers and calling to alert the main base.

Two guards stood casually against a door inside the building, three stories up from where the prisoner was being kept. They were the first line of security, standing in a plain, gray hall.

"Hey," one said, motioning to a security camera, "is that thing on?"

Then the door was knocked from its hinges, clattering down the hall. The two men were unconscious before they knew what hit them.

Another story up a guard stood by an elevator, patrolling the area. He heard a crash from the floor under him. He instantly activated his comlink. "Sir, disable the elevator and activate the guard robots. I think there's a situation."

On the first story of the building, the only level above ground, a GUN soldier stood at the only elevator opening, alone in an empty hall. His comlink beeped and his boss's voice said, "Lock the elevator, there's a situation."

The man gasped and quickly did so, backing up and training his gun on the door. He heard a banging inside the shaft and then the door was ripped open. A black blur slammed into him and knocked him out before he could pull the trigger.

In a separate building outside of the facility, the generals in charge watched in astonishment as each signal from their guard robots went dead. They received a message that their tanks were on and opening fire. The sound of the loud blasts echoed through the jungle.

Outside of the last perimeter, a simple barbed wire fence, one guard was hurrying back from using the outhouse in the jungle. He'd gotten an alert a few minutes prior that the security cameras had gone dead and he was hurrying to return to his post.

As he neared the large fence, he could hear the tanks shooting. Panic surged in him and he pulled out his gun. Before he was close to the fence a chunk of metal flew through the air, over the fence, and crashed into the ground, sending dirt flying and shaking the ground.

The man raised his gun at the dark figure perched on the metal but in a flash his gun was gone, in the creature's hands, back on the metal.

The man took a step back, awestruck. Before him was a black female hedgehog. Red stripes ran down her long spikes and crowned her large red eyes. She wore a darker red tunic, her hips circled by a silver belt and matching pants. She had white gloves, a silver ring around both wrists. Her large shoes kept the same black, red, and white color pattern and bore the latter "S".

She grinned cockily, her eyes gleaming energetically as she twirled the gun. "Hey there. Did I surprise you?" Her voice was clear and held a happy-go-lucky flare.

The man swallowed nervously. "Are you the escaped prisoner?"

The hedgehog glanced in the direction of the still-booming tanks, then down at the chunk of metal she'd ridden. "You must have Clue Deficit Disorder. Yeah, I am!" She cocked the gun showily. "I'm Storm the Hedgehog."

StH

Amy looked into Sonic's refrigerator, cold air hitting her pink face. "Hey!" she called to the company in the front room. "I can make sandwiches for lunch! You guys want some?"

"That sounds good," Sonic answered, standing before the television and flipping through the channels. Rouge was lying on the couch, ice on her ankle. Knuckles and Tails sat on another sofa.

"If anyone reported hearing the explosion," Tails said, "I doubt it would be on the news yet."

"Yeah," Sonic sighed. "I just don't like speculating."

The doorbell rang and Sonic raced over to open it. It was Cream, smiling sweetly with Cheese hovering beside her.

The blue hedgehog grinned. "Hey, Cream, how's it going?"

"Good," she said in her soft, high voice. "Is Tails here?"

The fox hopped up from the couch. "Yeah, what do you need, Cream?"

"Would you like to play with me?" she asked.

When Tails glanced at Sonic the hedgehog said, "Go ahead, Tails. We'll be fine."

"Okay. Let's go, Cream." The two walked off.

Rouge had been watching the scene unfold, uninterested and lounging on the couch. But after the fox and rabbit had gone Sonic quickly shut the door. He, Knuckles, and Amy all began racing about, thudding through the house and opening and closing doors. Rouge watched, shocked, as they began to carry in balloons, streamers, and presents from other areas of the house.

"Um . . ." the bat paused and sat up. "Guys?"

She was ignored as the three rushed back into the room and began to set up the colorful decorations.

"Cream was right on time," Amy commented, dispersing the balloons through the corners.

"How long do you think we have?" Knuckles asked, stacking the presents.

"Half-hour I'd guess," Sonic answered, a blue blur as he hung streamers along the ceiling.

Rouge's face lit up in excitement. "Are we having a party?"

Amy bounded into the kitchen, answering, "Tails' birthday is tomorrow. It's a surprise party for him."

The noise of Amy rummaging through the cabinets sounded into the room as Rouge asked sweetly, "So . . . can I stay?"

"Well, we can hardly throw you out," Sonic said. "Since you're hurt."

Knuckles glared at her. "Just don't be an annoyance."

She winked at him flirtatiously. "Never."

* * *

**I know Storm is also an albatross, but I came up with her concept before the first Sonic Riders came out. So I'm keeping that her name because I'm stubborn, and because it follows the same pattern of the other hedgehogs' names. There's a picture of Storm in my DeviantArt Scrap gallery, the link to which is on my profile here. **

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys!**

**BlueandRedButterflies: **Hi again! 8D lol I think I have only two or three people who review for more than one of my fics, so it's always cool to find someone with common interests! Yeah . . .just felt like saying that. Thanks for reviewing!

**Master Metalllix: **Oh, I know, but this way is easier for me and I know that you guys receive my replies. Thanks for the review!

**And thanks to Farming Chick, Solar Tonatiuh, and Dark-Illusion-Detective for reviewing!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic**

**Rated T for violence**

* * *

**CH. 3**

The thick metal doors lid open before Storm, her red eyes narrowed and mouth twisted into a scowl. She was flanked by four GUN soldiers, all heavily armed and seeming suspicious of her every move. She was sure if she sneezed they'd be staring her down.

The room she was faced with was an office. Well-furnished and smoothly carpeted, large windows let in sunlight and a view of the jungle from its tenth story perch. A cherry wood desk sat in the center, carrying stacks of papers, a shiny telephone, and a fancy computer. GUN symbols were sat about and medals were in glass cases, paying tribute to the older man behind the desk. To Storm, the room was show-offy and smelled of too much cleaning products. She crinkled her nose and crossed her arms as they headed to the desk.

The man looked up at her, sighing with annoyance. He wore a polished gray uniform and his silver hair was neatly combed back. Everything about his appearance shouted authority and perfection. The only out-of-place characteristic was that one eye was brown and the other blue.

Storm flashed a wide smile. "Commander! How have you been?"

The Commander rubbed his temples. "I grow tired of this, Storm."

"Of what?"

"Your escape attempts."

"Oh, that."

The Commander gestured to the GUN solders. "You may leave us." They did so, closing the door behind them. He pointed to a chair before the desk. "Take a seat."

Storm flopped into the soft chair, crossing her legs. "So . . .what's up?"

"You seem quite adamant about having your freedom."

"I've been in this Hell hole almost all my life," she snapped.

The Commander remained calm. "I thought you had settled down."

Storm recalled that when she'd first been taken prisoner, she was on a continuous mission to escape. Eventually they locked her in an underground facility. But as the years passed and she did nothing, she was allowed back in the main base on the island. She had kept her "good behavior" up. Although she was escorted everywhere by guards, at least she had some independence. But when her guards had looked away once, she couldn't pass up the opportunity and ran for it. But she didn't make it out of the building. That action had landed her back in the underground facility. Earlier that day she had been so sure she was about to escape, but she didn't make it off the island. When she thought back on it, she wondered if pausing to taunt the guard outside the perimeter had been a good idea.

She smiled, leaning forward, "We're friends, right?"

He gave her a blank look.

"So," she continued, "maybe we can make a deal."

He sighed, shifting through his papers. "That's why I'm talking to you. I have an opportunity for you to win your freedom."

The effect was immediate. Storm gasped, sitting up straight and gripping the arms of the chair. Her eyes were wide with shock, excitement, and hope. "What? How? When?"

The Commander sighed, looking steadily at her. "We have a mission. One that is top-secret and extremely important. It's also rather difficult, which is why I'm asking you. I believe you are capable of carrying it out. If you do so, the reward is your freedom."

The black hedgehog sat back again, looking at him skeptically. "What sort of 'freedom' will I get?"

"I will trash all files on you, you will not be bound to us, and you will never return to this island again."

"Deal. What is it?"

He leaned forward. "GUN had been after this certain fugitive for quite a long time. He is dangerous and we want him in our custody. His name is Shadow."

"That's a sexy name."

He glared at her. "Your job will be to meet him and earn his trust. Make him like you. Then you'll use your position to give us the opportunity to capture him."

"Sounds easy enough. Where can I find him?"

"We're not sure where he is, but it shouldn't take you long to find him." He pulled out several documents. "This is his picture."

Storm looked at it, frowning. "He looks like me."

"Yes. And here are pictures of his friends."

Storm glanced over them as he said each name, memorizing them. There was a blue hedgehog named Sonic, a pink hedgehog named Amy, a yellow fox named Tails, a white bat named Rouge, and an angry-looking red echidna named Knuckles.

The Commander said, "If you locate any of them they should be able to help you. Claim you're a wanderer, an orphan."

She nodded. "Okay, I've got it."

He stood and she did the same. He handed her a round comlink. "We'll keep in touch with you."

She winked, grinning. "Don't worry, Commander, I've got this."

StH

Rouge was sitting on the couch, touching her ankle tenderly. It felt considerably better, and she was sure of a quick recovery. She glanced about the room. Streamers dropped from the ceiling and balloons crowded the corners. Presents were stacked near the television and a strong chocolate aroma came from the cake sitting on the coffee table. Amy and Knuckles were pacing back and forth, Sonic peering through the windows. It was silent except for the sound of footsteps.

Shattering the quiet, Sonic shouted, "They're coming!"

Amy and Knuckles jumped, turning towards the door. Rouge smiled. She decided this little group wasn't so bad. They all really cared for each other.

The doorbell rang and Sonic opened the door. "Hey there, guys, come on in."

Cream skipped in first, smiling at all the party decorations. Tails walked in, and abruptly stopped.

"Happy birthday!" Amy and Cream cheered.

"Aw," the yellow fox said, blushing. "You guys didn't have to."

"Yeah, we did," Sonic assured, closing the door with a click.

"Happy birthday," Rouge said casually.

Tails smiled and was about to speak, when a handheld device on the coffee table began to beep. Tails picked it up, frowning, then said, "Uh-oh. A Chaos Emerald just went active."

They all exchanged glances when a loud eruption was heard outside. They ran out, Rouge flying. They could see the city, a few miles off, with smoke coming from it.

"Let's split up," Sonic said. "Knuckles, you go after the emerald."

"Take this," Tails handed him the scanner.

"Alright," the echidna nodded, his game-face on.

"I'll go with you," Rouge told him.

"No way!" he snapped. "You're hurt!"

"It's one ankle, I can handle myself. Besides, I'm a treasure hunter and can't skip out on a hunt."

Knuckles sighed in a dramatic display of exasperation. "Fine! Whatever. Let's go."

Knuckles took off running, Rouge flying above him.

Sonic grinned. "Let's check out the city."

He ran towards it, Amy, Cream, and Tails following. They could hear loud booms of destruction. Smoke rose up against the blue sky, and as they drew nearer the sound of sirens and screaming became audible.

Sonic dashed into the city, feet thundering on the pavement and warm wind against him. He glanced around at all the numerous shops and cars parked along the side of the road. The ground rumbled every so often, and he headed in the direction everyone was running from. At last Sonic turned onto a street and skidded to a stop, green eyes wide. He heard his friends come up behind him, panting.

The street was littered with debris. Chunks of buildings that had been knocked away and smashed police cars sat here and there. Cracks formed along the road and neighboring buildings. In the center of the street, standing about six stories tall, was a silver metal robot. It was square and built in a humanoid fashion, glowing yellow eyes locked on the stunned group.

"Well," Sonic said, grinning. "That's something you don't see every day."

"How do we stop it?" Amy asked.

"Good question. I don't know," Sonic replied.

The robot then kicked a chunk of stone, hurling it at them. They dove out of the way, hitting the hard pavement.

Sonic ran towards it and it stomped at him, causing the ground to shake. The blue hedgehog rolled away, eyeing the foe. The robot kept stomping at the hedgehog as he darted quickly around. Then it grabbed a corner chunk off a building and threw it at the other three.

"Look out!" Tails shouted as he and Amy leaped out of the way.

Cream screamed, covering her small head and squeezing her eyes shut. She felt something hit her and a quick surge of movement with an abrupt stop. She opened her eyes to see Shadow holding her, several feet from where the stone had hit.

Cream hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Mr. Shadow!"

He pulled her off, red eyes watching the robot. "You're welcome."

Amy put her hands on her hips. "It's about time you got here!"

Ignoring her, Shadow took off for the robot. He circled it, Sonic running up beside him.

"Hey!" Sonic said cheerily.

"Hey," Shadow responded unenthusiastically.

"Where'd this thing come from, huh?"

"Eggman?"

"My thought, but I don't see him around here," Sonic then rushed up the robot's leg, Shadow mirroring him on the other one.

Shadow kept his speed going to maintain his near-vertical position. He scanned the shining silver body for weaknesses as Sonic punched and kicked to search. They mounted opposite shoulders at the same time, looking at its head. As the head turned, Shadow noticed the line where two metal plates met. He shouted to Sonic, "There are gaps for the joints."

Then two large hands came down at them. They jumped off, bouncing off the body to lessen the impact as they hit the ground. There was a creak as the machine lifted its foot, bringing it down quickly over them. The hedgehogs darted out of the way, the ground shaking and black bits of pavement flying into the air.

Amy raced up and slammed her hammer into the large foot with a metallic clang that jarred her arms.

"Ow!" she cried.

"Amy," Sonic called, "we need to target the joints!"

"Oh, oops," she said.

Then the foot yanked back and kicked at her. Shadow shot forward, shoving her out of the way. The kick caught him, sending him into the air and crashing through the window of an office building. He hit a desk, breaking it, and tumbled over the carpet before stopping.

Amy picked herself up off the ground to see the other foot stomping down at her. Sonic slid by, knocking her out of the way. The attack barely missed him, the force sending him bouncing along the hard ground.

Tails flew by, grabbing Amy's hand and taking her back to safety. "Amy, please try not to get them killed!"

She dropped to the ground, crossing her arms angrily.

Shadow picked himself up and jogged to the broken window. Looking from his eigth story view, he saw the robot trying to kick a dodging Sonic, the other three watching apprehensively. The street was a mess of debris.

The black hedgehog grabbed a piece of broken glass, holding it like a dagger. Then he jumped out toward the robot. When he neared its head he stabbed the glass down. It slit into the metal. As Shadow slid down the body of the machine, the glass cut into it, making an ear-piercing screech. Then the glass shattered and Shadow fell the rest of the way to the ground, backing up.

Sonic grabbed a bumper that had broken off a car and raced for the robot. He jumped up, bounced off the side of a building, and jammed the bumper into the slit Shadow had made. Sparks shot from it and he quickly leaped away.

The machine thrashed in anger, its arms knocking into skyscrapers. Chunks flew out, raining down on the group. Cream screamed as a large piece came down on top of her.

"Cream!" Amy cried, running over to the stone.

"I'm okay," came her voice. "It's curved; it didn't hit me."

Amy sighed in relief. "Okay. I'll get you out."

Shadow ran over to a stop sign and ripped it from the ground. He spun around and with a shout flung it at the robot's arm. It sliced into it, severing wires and connections. Sparks erupted and the weight of the arm caused the rest of the connections to break. It fell to the street with a thunderous boom, rocking the pavement.

Tails hovered beside Sonic, blue eyes wide. "I'm glad he's on our side."

Sonic watched the black hedgehog circling the machine. He glanced over to see that Amy had the wooden handle of her hammer stuck underneath the stone, trying to help Cream.

"Can you see the stick?" Amy asked.

" . . . No."

"Can you feel the stick?"

" . . . No."

"Move around. C'mon, Cream, you gotta help me out."

Sonic sighed when the ground shook again, the other arm having been cut off.

The robot did not seem happy. It ran toward them, stomping and kicking and losing whatever mechanical self-control it had possessed. The group ran and dodged, wide-eyed. Cars were flipped and pavement was crushed. A fire hydrant was torn from the ground, water shooting out to cover the disfigured road.

Shadow broke for one of the stop signs he'd previously used, lying in the few inches of water. He scooped it up and grabbed the other one, tossing it to Sonic.

"The head," Shadow said simply.

Both hedgehogs broke for opposite buildings. They ran straight up, blurs against the wall.

Tails pulled Amy into one of the shops. They both peered out the window, hears pounding, and trying to remain silent. The robot stopped by the piece of stone Cream was under.

Shadow topped the building, holding the bent stop sign in one hand. He paused long enough to meet eyes with Sonic before they both jumped down to the machine. The wind cut against them as they quickly fell, landing on each shoulder with a leg-shaking bang and then slamming the signs into the robot's neck.

The effect was immediate. Sparks shot out, burning them. The head began to tilt one way, creaking, so they kicked it. The connections snapped and it fell away, tumbling down to smash into the ground.

"Hooray!" Amy cheered as she and Tails ran out.

The hedgehogs hopped off, the large body standing frozen.

"No biggie," Sonic stated, dusting himself off.

Shadow lifted up the chunk of building enough for Cream to crawl out. She looked shaken but otherwise okay.

Sonic gestured to the familiar symbol on the back of the robot's head. "Well, now we know who sent it. Eggman."

"But he's not here," Tails frowned. "So . . . why?"

* * *

**Please review! 8D**


	4. Chapter 4

**I went to the American Idol concert the other day! It was really, really fun! **

**Dark-Illusion-Detective: **Thanks, I'm glad it's suspenseful! 8D And thanks for reviewing!

**BlueandRedButterflies: **Thanks, I use to be horrible at writing fights, believe me. (Good thing that was before I was a member on this site) Thanks for your review!

**Master Metallix: **Well, the Commander believes her resemblance to Shadow will help her in her mission, and I'll get more into the Commander and Storm's relationship later. Tails did not mean that insulting, he was just teasing her. And the only reason Sonic did use a "weapon" was because he couldn't have stuck his feet or hands inside of the robot. And don't worry, I know what I'm doing with Storm and she won't be a "Mary-Sue". ;) Thanks for the review!

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic**

**Rated T for violence**

**CH. 4**

Knuckles thought that there was no worse possible punishment in this life or the after life than hunting for a Chaos Emerald with Rouge. As they searched the boulder-filled beach, he went over a list of one hundred things he'd rather be doing (number twenty-one was hug a cactus). To him, she was an endless source of complaining as he trudged through the thick sand, the ocean visible a few yards away. It was slightly cloudy, making the air cooler than it would have been. He could smell the salty water and hear the waves rolling in.

"This shouldn't be taking so long!" Rouge complained, flying beside the red echidna.

He grunted in response, weaving through the gray boulders.

"I can't believe this!" Rouge continued. "The best treasure hunter in the world, and another treasure hunter, and we can't even find one pretty jewel on one beach."

"Thank you."

She eyed him irritably. "I wasn't calling you the best."

He clenched his teeth. "Well, you certainly weren't talking about yourself. Why haven't you found it?"

"Why haven't you?"

He growled, shattering a rock with his fist. The pieces scattered over the sand.

She crossed her gloved arms. "Goodness, Knuckles, you need to lighten up."

He threw his arms into the air. "I am light! If I was any lighter, I could be the flight member in Team Sonic!"

She rolled her eyes, flying faster. "Stop being so over-dramatic. You-" She gasped as she accidentally knocked her hurt ankle against a boulder. She lightly sat down on top of the rock, touching the area tenderly.

Knuckles stopped, feeling himself calm down. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. For a moment the two were quiet, looking at the waves that came in, covering the beach in white foam. A few birds swooped low over the water, searching for food.

"What's wrong with us, Knuckles? Why can't we get along?" she asked.

He looked away. "We're too different."

"No we're not. We're exactly the same."

He looked at her in confusion.

She winked playfully. "The world isn't big enough for two stubborn kids like us."

He grinned, the breeze shifting his dred locks. "You're probably right."

The two started searching again, the tension relieved. They hadn't gone very far when a voice said, "Are you guys looking for this?"

They jumped, startled, and turned to see a black and red female hedgehog holding a red Chaos Emerald. It glowed in her white gloved hand.

Knuckles stepped forward, raising his fists. "Hand it over."

She didn't seem phased at his threat. She looked at the jewel in confusion, raising one brow. "What is it?"

Rouge came even with Knuckles, lightly setting herself down. "A Chaos Emerald. We collect them. Would you hand it over."

The black hedgehog shrugged and tossed it to Rouge. "I don't want it." She frowned as they stared at her. "Is something wrong?"

"You look _a lot _like one of our friends," Rouge stated. "What's your name?"

"Storm the Hedgehog."

"Do you know Shadow?"

"Nope."

Knuckles glared at her. "Where are you from?"

"Oh, I'm a wanderer. My parents died when I was young. I just took a boat trip over here, thought I'd explore this country."

Rouge visible softened. "Oh, you poor thing!" She limped over to her. "My name is Rouge, the grumpy one is Knuckles."

"Hi!" Storm smiled. "Is your leg okay? You're limping."

"Oh, it's nothing I won't recover from, but thanks."

Storm's face lit up. "Rouge, where did you get those gloves?! I _love _them!"

The bat blushed and stood a bit straighter. "Oh, these old things? I found them in a little store at the edge of town. I was just shopping-"

Knuckles watched, mortified, as the two girls talked and laughed. Storm seemed genuinely interested. He narrowed his purple eyes. _Too _interested.

The echidna marched up, flinging sand with his steps. "So . . .Rouge . . .we better head back."

"Good idea. Come with us, Storm."

"What?!" Knuckles was appalled.

Rouge continued, "You can meet my friends and Shadow. Honestly, you two could be twins. Plus, I like you."

Storm smiled. "Thanks, Rouge, I like you, too."

Crossing his arms as they headed off, Knuckles muttered under his breath, "That makes one of us."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sonic and the group headed back to his house, wondering about the robot they had fought in the city. After Tails and the others continuously insisted, Shadow came with them. As they sat around the front room, eating cake, they discussed what Eggman might have planned.

"What was the purpose of the robot?" Amy asked. "Just to destroy the city?"

Tails took a drink of milk and said, "Maybe we stopped it before it could accomplish its missions."

"But Eggman wasn't there," Cream pointed out.

Sonic frowned, poking at the chocolate cake with his fork. "When the building in the woods exploded . . .if that was him going somewhere, he wouldn't have been there."

Shadow looked at him questioningly.

Sonic met his red eyes. "We were there when Eggman's hideout in the woods exploded. I'm pretty sure I saw a vehicle taking off."

"Which would mean," Tails said, "that the explosion might have been triggered by the force of his take-off. He must have gone somewhere far away, like the other side of the world or outer space."

Then the door opened. Knuckles entered first, holding a Chaos Emerald and looking angry. Rouge followed, keeping her weight off her ankle and taking away with a female hedgehog. The company in the front room gasped, all eyes fixed on Storm.

"We got the emerald," Knuckles said, "and Rouge made a friend. Her name is Storm."

Storm looked up and smiled, eyes looking over the group. She matched up who they were with their names, though the Commander hadn't shown her the little rabbit. Her eyes settled on Shadow who was staring at her in shock. He did look unsettlingly like her.

Sonic spoke her thoughts out loud. "Wow! You look just like Shadow!"

Knuckles sighed heavily. "She's a wanderer, just came over here. And who cares if she looks like Shadow? I'm sure if we found another blue hedgehog he'd look like Sonic, or another red echidna would look like me."

Storm could tell that the echidna obviously didn't like guests. She wished they'd all stop talking about her resemblance to Shadow. She didn't want it to interfere with her mission. That little black hedgehog was her key to freedom.

"You make a good point, Knuckles," Tails said. "It's nice to meet you, Storm. I'm Tails."

"I'm Sonic. And this is Amy, Cream, and Shadow."

Storm smiled. "It's nice to meet you guys."

Rouge hopped over to Shadow. "It's good to see you again!"

He looked up at her. "You, too."

Storm glanced around the room. "You guys having a party?"

"My birthday party," Tails replied. "Here, have some cake."

Storm hopped in excitement. "I love cake!" As she picked up a shiny for, she pointed it at him and winked. "And happy birthday!"

Knuckles suddenly stiffened. He glanced around the room, then dashed down the hall. The others stared blankly after him.

"What's that about?" Amy asked, in a tone that hinted to Storm that Knuckles' behavior wasn't always normal.

Then his deep voice shouted through the house, "It's gone!"

The group jumped up, running down the hall. Storm followed, puzzled. They went through a door and down cement stairs into a basement. It was dim and cool inside, with piles of junk sitting here and there. There was a metal door on the far side that had been ripped open. Knuckles was standing on the other side in a small, empty room.

Sonic jogged over to him, alarm in his green eyes. "The Master Emerald is gone?" Their voices echoed in the dark room.

"What?!" Rouge exclaimed. "Why was it down here?"

"I like it to be near me," the echidna said, looking around helplessly as if the Master Emerald was hiding somewhere.

"When did this happen?" Amy asked.

As they talked, Shadow went up to the metal doors that had been forced open, now twisted and bent. He studied them, frowning.

"Maybe when we were all gone?" Tails offered.

"I don't think I locked the front door," Sonic said sheepishly. "But my basement was locked and I didn't think anyone could get into that sealed room."

Amy bounded up the stairs to the basement door and shouted down with an echoing voice, "The lock is broken! Pretty cleanly, too."

Suddenly an ear-piercing screech caused them all to jump, wide eyed and covering their ears. They turned to see Shadow with one foot braced on the wall, both hands gripping the edge of one of the disfigured metal doors and slowly bending it. He let go, frowning. "Those . . .are not easy to open."

Rouge hopped over next to him. "It looks like someone just stuck their fingers between the two and shoved them apart. There's no other signs of a beak-in, whoever it was had only one mission."

Knuckles grabbed his head in frustration. "How'd they even know it was in here?!"

"Is it related to Eggman?" Cream asked.

"Whoa," Storm said, waving her white gloved hand, "everyone stop. I'm confused. What is a Master Emerald and who is Eggman?"

The group exchanged glances.

"C'mon," Sonic said, "let's go upstairs and we'll fill you in."

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**I love reviews so please leave one! 8D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, here we are with another chapter. This is a Shadow-centric fic, even though I know he hasn't been in it that much yet, but he will be, trust me. I'm just laying the foundation for Shadow action, haha. ;) **

**Dark-Illusion-Detective: **I'm glad you like her and are enjoying the story! 8D Thanks for reviewing!

**KaiThePhaux: **I'm happy you like Storm! Thanks for the review!

**Farming Chick: **Haha, well hope you had fun at the camping trip all the same! The concert was fantastic! Trying to get an autograph at the end was hectic and smelly, though. I did get one, however! Thanks for your review!

**BlueandRedButterflies: **I do love long reviews, but that's fine! Hehe ;) Thank you! God bless you! 8D And thanks for reviewing!

**WerehogWatcher: **Don't worry, he isn't, and that will be addressed in this chapter. Thanks for the review!

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic**

**Rated T for violence**

**CH. 5**

Rouge's house was a large, white two-story. The columns that stood on each side of the door and the gardens surrounding the place gave a look of wealth and elegance. She lived on several acres, the land bordered by a black fence. It was mostly countryside and woods around Rouge's land, giving it a feeling of further seclusion.

The object in everyone going to stay at Rouge's house was, as the bat herself had put it, "Because if we're going to figure all this out we need to stay together, and we can't do it comfortably in _this _house."

Storm liked both Rouge and her house. But judging by some of the comments made to the haughty bat, Storm had a feeling much of her money was illegally gained. But why should she care? She owed nothing to GUN and certainly wouldn't turn Rouge in.

They arrived early in the morning, carrying bags full of belongings as they headed up the brick walkway to the door. The sky was a light blue, tinged with yellow around the horizon. It was cool but not unpleasant, promising a warm day. The countryside was quiet save for the rustling of small trees and birds flying by.

"Now I only have four guest bedrooms," Rouge said, sticking her key in the front door lock. "So, we'll have to pair up, but we can decide on that later."

"Thank you for letting us stay here, Miss Rouge," Cream said.

The bat smiled back at her. "You're welcome, honey."

Knuckles snorted. "It's not like we're homeless."

"If you don't behave you will be," Rouge warned, and opened the door.

They were greeted with a modest foyer, circular and temperate. There was an area with sofas and fake trees bordered an entrance to a hallway. There was a heavy smell of roses.

"This is nice," Shadow commented as they all looked around.

"I know," Rouge said modestly, smirking. "You guys can set your stuff in the corner, we'll get you moved in later."

As the others followed her instructions, admiring the paintings on the walls, Amy stayed and turned to Rouge, a pack slung over her shoulder. "Are you letting Storm stay here?"

Rouge shrugged neutrally. "Why not? She's good company, I need a normal girl around here."

Ignoring the bat's thinly veiled insult, Amy said, "Is that safe? I mean, we don't know anything about her."

"What's to know? She's alone in the world, I can tell you that much just by looking at her."

Amy narrowed her light green eyes. "I would think that you of all people wouldn't trust easily."

"You can look at it one of two ways, sweetie: either I trust anybody or I don't trust anybody." With a wink she walked off, wings neatly folded and hips swaying showily.

"Fine," Amy muttered, "_I'll _keep an eye on that hedgehog."

Of course, Storm had been first on Amy's list of suspects in the thievery of the Master Emerald and Eggman leaving. But was it just a coincidence? Apparently, she had been with Rouge and Knuckles when they had fought the robot. And Storm just seemed so genuinely innocent to Dr. Eggman and the Chaos Emeralds. She had inquired to Sonic about it earlier, but his response was that he was always on his guard and couldn't find any basis not to trust Storm.

"I guess so," Amy had admitted reluctantly while she had watched Sonic pack some belongings in his bedroom.

"Anyway," Sonic had said, "she was with Rouge and Knuckles the whole time. Shadow even pointed out that he couldn't have broken in so . . .cleanly."

"Maybe she's telepathic or something," Amy had suggested, "like Silver."

"I don't think so. But I'd rather have her where I can see her, anyway."

Amy was brought from her thoughts by Tails calling her name. She looked up to see that they were heading into the hall. She ran after them.

Rouge gave them a tour of her home. It was beautiful, clean, and richly decorated. A kitchen shone with white appliances, the bathrooms were large, and the living room contained many sofas and a shining cherry wood coffee table. At last Rouge led them to her backyard, a large expanse of acres. The group decided to stay outside for awhile and enjoy the weather. Cream and Tails were kicking a ball back and forth on the covered, circular patio. Amy was humming to herself and picking wildflowers. Sonic had gone off running and Shadow was standing a few yards off, looking over the land. Knuckles sat on a bench in the patio shade, a breeze blowing his dred locks.

Rouge and Storm stood at the edge of the patio, talking. The breeze stirred the fresh blades of grass, fluffy clouds drifting in the sky. The noises of birds, Amy humming, and the rhythmic bouncing of the ball filled the air.

"So I hacked the computer system," Rouge was saying, "and got into the their top secret files. Turns out Francisco de Vale was Marco's brother."

Storm gasped. "Whoa. Didn't see that coming."

Knuckles sighed dramatically.

Rouge shook her white head. "Me either. I had those crooks right where I wanted them. GUN was happy to know that little piece of information."

Storm blinked. "GUN?"

"Yeah, I sorta work for them," the arrant bat replied. "But I also have my own agenda. No one controls me."

"Oh." Storm was interested by this. A government spy and a jewel thief. She had said that she even had ran her own club, Club Rouge, for awhile. What did she not do? "That's good. No one should control you."

Cream missed the ball and it bounced into Storm's leg. She picked it up, looking at the rabbit.

"Would you please toss it back?" Cream asked politely.

"Sure," Storm replied. She flipped the ball to the back of her hand and let it roll up her arm, over her collarbone, and down her other arm, balancing it on a white gloved finger.

Cream clapped, jumping up and down. Rouge and Knuckles smiled.

Storm bounced the ball back, Cream catching it and saying, "Thank you, Miss Storm."

"You're welcome."

Rouge and Storm continued talking, walking into the pleasant sunshine. The bat led them in a conspicuous curve to Shadow, but Storm pretended not to notice. Shadow turned to watch them as they approached.

"Do you like my place?" Rouge asked him as they stopped.

"It's extravagant," he replied.

Rouge winked. "I know. You two wait here, I need to make a trip to the extravagant little girl's room." She hurried off.

"You did that on purpose," Knuckles commented as Rouge passed by him, lounging on the bench.

She shrugged. "I think they should talk."

Knuckles shook his head.

Shadow regarded Storm, his arms crossed, as she looked over the land and frequently at him. He wasn't sure what to make of her, this female look-alike who came from nowhere. He supposed her story was believable enough, but his mind revolved around the concept "guilty until proven innocent".

"Rouge is an interesting character," Storm stated, turning to him.

Shadow chuckled. "She certainly is."

"She says she's 'friends' with everyone here, but . . .you two really are friends, aren't you?"

"Yes, we are."

Storm put her hands on her hips, red tunic blowing in the breeze. "By the way the echidna whines about losing his emerald you'd think his girlfriend had left him."

Shadow laughed. It wasn't a weightless, carefree laugh, more one of amusement. Storm also noticed that he never genuinely smiled, it was always more along the lines of a smirk. Storm found herself wondering about it, then shoved the thought away. It didn't matter.

"So," she said, "this Dr. Eggman is a bad guy?"

"I've faced worse, but yes, he is. His intelligence is what makes him formidable."

"What does he look like?"

Shadow looked off into the distance, a smirk spreading over his dark skin. "An egg."

She raised a brow. "An egg?"

"A bald egg with a rather large mustache."

"Fashionable."

He looked at her, amusement in his red eyes. Then she felt the comlink the Commander had given her, tucked behind her silver belt, vibrate.

"Um, I have to go, too," she said. "Be back." Then she hurried to the house.

Shadow rolled his eyes. He would never understand why girls always made group trips to the restroom.

Storm went into the house, the air cool. She ducked into a dark hallway and pulled out the comlink, holding it close to her face and whispering stealthily, "Storm here."

"Storm," the Commander said, "How is the mission going?"

"I'm with the group and am getting them to trust me."

"Good. Do not fail, Storm."

"I won't." She heard him click his comlink off and she did the same. She felt excitement bubble in her. Freedom. It was so close.

"I won't," she repeated, then headed back outside.

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**I love reviews, so please leave one!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, everybody! Sorry this is late, I've been busy with school, a fanfics I discovered that was 39 chapters along, an original story I'm working on, and life in general. But here's the new chapter, so enjoy! **

**KaithePhaux: **I'm glad you're liking it, thanks! 8D And thanks for reviewing!

**Anonymous Reader: **Thanks very much! I'm tentative about OC stories, too, and I knew this one might have a hard time when I first posted it. I'm glad it's still getting attention! Thanks for the review!

**BlueandRedButterflies: **haha, God bless you, too! And thanks for your review!

**Dark-Illusion-Detective: **Haha, at least Storm will recognize Eggman, huh? Lol Thanks for reviewing!

**WerehogWatcher: **Telekinetic? Dang, sorry. I haven't played the game, though I've read about it quite a bit and watched scenes on YouTube. Thanks for the review!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic**

**Rated T for violence**

* * *

**CH. 6**

The sun slowly sank to melt with the horizon, a gold line broken by the black silhouettes of trees. The sky in the west was colored pink and orange, but as it spread further out it turned to dark blue and eventually to black. A few stars shone, the moon a thin, liquid silver crescent. The group was slowly heading to the large house, the buzz of insects in the air.

"Maybe we should start doing what we came here to do," Knuckles said, leaning by the back door. "Find my emerald and Eggman."

Rouge looked at the sky doubtfully. "It's a little late . . ."

As if on cue, Cream yawned, stretching her arms. Cheese was leaning against her small shoulder, eyes half open.

Tails rubbed his blue eyes tiredly. "We do need to."

"Let's call it quits for the night," Sonic said. "We'll tackle this in the morning. Maybe a rest will help."

Rouge smiled. "Sounds good. You guys get your bags and I'll show you the rooms."

They went inside the luxurious house, grabbing their packs from the foyer. Rouge led them up a curving staircase and into a long hall lined with doors.

The bat motioned. "That one is my room. There are four others so some of you will need to share."

Amy batted her eyelashes. "I can share with you, Sonic."

The blue hedgehog winked. "I'll be sharing with Tails."

Tails smiled brightly, excited to be with his friend.

Amy rolled her eyes. "I was just kidding. We can share, Cream."

The rabbit clapped. "That sounds wonderful!"

The three left: Shadow, Knuckles, and Storm, exchanged glances. There were only two other guest rooms available.

Rouge looked between them. "Alright, fine, Storm, you can room with me. You two boys can have your own rooms."

Knuckles looked visibly relieved, but Shadow didn't show emotion. Storm sidled over to the bat, happy to not be placed in an awkward situation.

Cream smiled. "Well, goodnight, everyone!"

"Yeah," Tails nodded, " 'night Amy, Cream, Knuckles, Shadow, Rouge, and Storm."

As other goodnights sounded in the quiet hall, Storm stood there, wide-eyed with a strange warm feeling starting in her chest and spreading through her body. As the voices began to die down, she said softly, "Goodnight, guys."

StH

Shadow went into his room, shutting the door behind him. It was dark save for the light coming from a window, casting his room in blue and silver. There was a good sized bed, a curving dresser, and a large chair. He dropped his pack on the floor, considerably smaller than everyone else's.

He climbed into the warm, soft bed, thinking that it was only recently that he had stuff to bring alone. Or at least things he cared about bringing along. For a long time he'd had nothing.

He stared at the ceiling, red eyes shining in the dim light. Storm hadn't brought anything. Shadow could identify with that. He knew what it felt like to have nothing. Though he figured that understanding was clearer to him because he'd had everything . . .

Shadow squeezed his eyes shut, slamming down that train of though and shoving it to the dark corners of his mind. No. Don't think about it. That was the past. He'd moved on. Of course, it helped when he didn't bring it up.

Turning over and burying his face in his pillow, he slowly drifted asleep, struggling to repress the memories that threatened to drown him every time he thought of the ARK.

StH

Rouge and Storm went into the large bedroom filled with a gold-framed mirror, a canopy bed, and other furnishings. It smelled strongly of perfume, and lacey white curtains rippled over the open window.

"Make yourself at home," Rouge said. "You don't snore, do you?"

Storm laughed. "Not that I'm aware of."

"So," the bat said conversationally, pulling back the thick purple covers, "do you have any friends who will be missing you?"

When she didn't get an immediate response, Rouge turned to see the black hedgehog staring at a painting on the wall, but her eyes had a distant look.

"Not for a long time now," Storm answered softly.

Rouge could tell this was a sensitive subject, so she chose not to pursue it. She focused again on her work. "Maybe when we get a break you and I can go shopping. There's nothing better than a girl's night out."

Storm turned, smiling. "I'd like that."

StH

Storm awoke to a twisting pain in her bladder that caused her to squeeze her legs together and curl into a ball on the soft bed. Her brain translated it as the publicly accepted phrase "I need to use the restroom". Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dark room, Rouge sleeping silently on the other half of the bed. Storm released the bunch of covers she had squeezed against her as a child would squeeze a teddy bear and climbed out of bed.

She left the room silently and entered a nearly black hall, hoping she could remember where the restroom was. When she recognized a door at the end of the hall she darted to it, relieving herself with a sigh.

Once finished, Storm went back into the hall, yawning. She walked sleepily towards Rouge's room, her footsteps making soft thuds. As she passed one room, she heard whimpering coming from it. She stopped, frowning. When she heard it again she opened the door a few inches, peering in.

Shadow lay curled up on the bed, the silver light from the window touching him. He was asleep, but his face was contorted in pain. He whimpered again.

Storm was torn between seeing if he was okay for herself or seeing if he was okay for her mission. Deciding it couldn't hurt, she walked in and gently touched his arm. "Shadow?"

He bolted upright, red eyes wide and panicked, panting as his heartbeat seemed to rack his entire body.

Storm yanked her white gloved hand back in surprise, then returned it to his arm, saying soothingly, "Shadow, it's okay. It's me; it's okay."

The images of his nightmare were still vividly fresh in his mind: the GUN soldiers, the running, the fear, the blood, and the gunshot so loud it felt like it split his ears open. He turned to Storm, the images slowly fading and the panic leaving him.

"Are you all right?" she asked, concerned.

He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Yes, I'm fine. I . . . had a nightmare."

"Want to talk about it?"

"No," he snapped quickly.

Storm dropped her hand. "I only mean that sometimes when you talk about bad dreams, you never have them again. Or so I've heard."

Shadow laughed bitterly, looking down at the sheets. "I wish." He rubbed his face, then looked back at her. "What are you doing up?"

"I had to use the restroom and heard noises coming from your room, so I decided to check on you."

Shadow paused. " . . . Thanks."

"No problem. Will you be okay?"

He looked up at her. He wondered why that simple question gave him an odd feeling. It wasn't unpleasant, just foreign. Or rather, one he hadn't felt in awhile. "I'll be fine."

"Alright, then," she yawned, turning to leave. "Goodnight, Shadow."

"Goodnight, Storm."

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**I know not much happened, but everything in this chapter had a purpose. I was going to add another section, but I think it'll fit better with the next chapter. So, next chapter the Eggman plot takes center stage again, see you then! **

**Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, everybody! Man, this last week was stressful! I had two tests, a report due, and a project due! Glad it's over with. 8D Thanks to Farming Chick, Dark-Illusion-Detective, KaiThePhaux, and WerehogWatcher for your reviews! I love you guys! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic**

**Rated T for violence**

* * *

**CH. 7**

It was early morning as the group sat around Rouge's living room. It had a contemporary feel, with long black sofas, a coffee table, a television mounted on the wall, and a luxurious fireplace that had a picture of her above it. Large windows allowed sunlight to pour in and gave an exceptional view of the land around them.

They had been going over the options for a few minutes on Eggman's plan and were still at a dead end.

"This is ridiculous," Knuckles growled. "We need to do _something_! I can't stand to just wait around."

"Calm down, Knuckles," Amy said pragmatically, sitting on a loveseat with Cream and Cheese. "We all want to know what Dr. Eggman's doing."

Rouge crossed her arms. "If we could find him we could force the information out of him."

"I agree," Tails nodded, sitting beside Sonic on a couch. "If we knew where he was we'd have something to start off on."

Sonic brightened, smiling. "So, first we need to find where he is."

Shadow, sitting by Sonic and leaning against the arm of the couch, said, "Dr. Eggman isn't clean, he's bound to have left clues behind."

Sonic jumped up with a light thud. "We need to investigate where his base was in the forest. GUN moved that robot out of the city . . ."

Rouge raised her gloved hand. "I can get access to the robot. I'm sure they'll let me look at it for a few minutes."

Sonic nodded. "Okay. Rouge, you check out that robot at GUN. Amy, Cream, and Cheese, you guys look around the city for anything GUN missed. Shadow, Knuckles, Tails, and Storm, we're going to the forest."

Everyone stood up, happy to have a plan.

"Alrighty," Rouge smiled, "lets' get going."

StH

Sunlight didn't penetrate to the floor of the woods, the large trees' branches creating a barrier that blocked out the blue sky. It was, for the most part, quiet. An occasional bird would flutter by and rustle the dark green leaves. The earthy scent was thick and pleasant, and the temperature was cool.

The group made their way through the foliage, looking around. Storm, although more comfortable with Rouge, was glad she was with this group. First reason being it gave her the opportunity to talk to Shadow. The second reason was that she, for some inexplicable reason, felt honored that Sonic had chosen her to come with them. And lastly because this mission seemed much more exciting than walking around the city with Amy and Cream.

"So, what exactly happened again?" Shadow questioned.

"We came up to Eggman's' base," Sonic replied, "and had just started fighting robots when it exploded. I saw a small ship take off."

"Here it is," Tails announced.

They came upon the site where Dr. Eggman's base used to be. The clearing was littered with chunks of metal, some trees knocked down. There was a large pile of twisted and mutilated building parts in the center, the ground slightly uneven.

"Whoa," Storm said. "You guys weren't kidding."

"Let's look around for something, anything," Tails told them.

Shadow walked around the chunks of metal, some the size of his shoe, others several feet taller than him. They cast dark shadows around them. There was a clang and he looked up to see Storm perched atop a large piece, surveying the scene.

"Can you see anything?" he asked, stopping and looking up at her.

She made a show of squinting and looking around. "Danget! The bathroom has been destroyed. Sorry, Shadow, you'll have to hold it."

He gave a half smile, raising one brow. "Have you ever done this before?"

She winked. "No, but I like it. I may take this up as a hobby."

"You'd fit in well around here."

Storm jumped down, landing gracefully. "Do you guys do things like this all the time?"

"Yes, though not necessarily together."

"I'm going to take a sample of dirt," Tails announced, taking out a glass vile and scooping soil in it. "I may be able to find something by doing tests."

"Dirt?" Knuckles scoffed. "That wouldn't have been my first guess."

"That's why we bring Tails along," Sonic smiled.

Storm turned to Shadow. "That little fox seems smart."

Shadow nodded. "Tails' ability rivals Dr. Eggman's, and I know his IQ is three hundred."

Her jaw dropped, red eyes popping wide. "_Three hundred_?"

"Yes."

Storm regained her composure, going beside him as he continued walking. "What a waste. How many people could he help with his intelligence, and yet, he chooses to hurt."

Shadow looked down. That reminded him of Professor Gerald, but the Professor had only wanted to help people. "I agree. It's a waste."

StH

Rouge smiled sweetly at the armed guards walking beside her in one of GUN's many bases. The hall was plain and gray, their footsteps echoing. She had spoken with a commander over the phone and convinced him that examining the robot may help her unravel the mystery and in turn help them. He had reluctantly agreed to give her five minutes.

"Are we there yet?" the bat asked, crossing her arms.

She huffed when she was ignored. But after a turn they came upon a locked door. One guard swiped a card and said sternly, "Five minutes."

She shrugged innocently. "Hey, I'm one of you guys, remember?"

She smirked as she walked into the room, the guards staying outside the door. The ceiling rose high up above her, and she felt as if she was in an airport hanger by the size of the room. Lying on the ground was the enormous robot, its dismembered limbs beside it.

Rouge looked it over, stunned.

_Wow, _she thought, _that thing _is _big._

She slowly walked up to it, her heels clicking against the metal floor. She recalled that the last time she had felt so small was approaching the ARK for the first time. Taking a glance back at the door to make sure she had privacy, she flew up over the machine to get a better look.

"Eggman was serious with this thing," she muttered.

She looked to where the decapitated head sat some feet away from the neck and flew down to it, landing smoothly. She peered inside the head, looking at the jumble of mechanical parts. Rouge was no scientist or mechanic, but from her work with security she recognized that the robot had been remote controlled. And it was an extreme long-distance signal.

_Hmmm, _she thought, _that's interesting, but we already assumed Eggman was long gone._

She kneeled down and leaned into the head, keeping wary of all the wires. She frowned, looking at the signal controls. Something was off. The robot shouldn't have needed such a large amount of reception. And what was that extra chip installed?

Rouge leaned closer, squinting her eyes, then broke into a wide smile.

"Satellite reception?" she laughed. "Oh, Eggman, you're being a very bad boy."

StH

Amy and Cream walked down the city street, discouraged. They'd been searching for awhile, and hadn't found anything GUN had missed. The street they were on was mostly empty because of the destruction. The bright, warm sun clearly showed the cracks in the road, the broken buildings, and the shattered sidewalks.

"I don't think there is anything, Amy," Cream said glumly.

The pink hedgehog crossed her arms. "I refuse to go back empty-handed, there must be something GUN missed."

Just as she said that, she glanced down at a barred sewer entrance along the curb. The sunlight gleaned off of metal.

"Hey, there's something down there," Amy said, kneeling and looking in.

"It looks like pieces of the robot!" Cream exclaimed happily.

"I'm going to go get them," the hedgehog stated. "You stay up here and keep watch." She gripped the bars and pulled the metal covering up.

Cream looked worried. "Are you sure? It's dark down there."

"I'll be fine."

Amy lowered herself in and dropped down with a splash. She looked around. It was cold and the smell was repulsive. Concrete walls closed her in, and there was a thin layer of water on the ground.

"Gross," she said, crinkling her nose. She bent down and picked up two pieces of metal, their backs covered in chips and wires running from them. Turning them over curiously, she stuck them in her pocket and called, "Okay, Cream, I'm coming out."

The rabbit grunted as she lifted up the barred covering. Amy jumped up and grabbed the edge, then pulled herself onto the street. Cream let the covering drop with a bang.

"Did you get them?" Cream asked.

"Yeah. I don't know what they are but maybe they'll prove useful. Let's head back."

StH

In the woods, the group had moved onto the main pile of debris in the center, looking through it. They were throwing pieces aside and looking through small clusters, absorbed in their work.

Suddenly Tails straightened. "Do you hear that?"

As if on cue, green and brown Eggman robots emerged from the trees, their joints creaking as they walked toward them.

"Alright," Sonic grinned, "we're getting some action."

Shadow looked to Storm and said explanatorily, "Eggman's robots."

She crouched down. "This'll be fun."

Knuckles attacked first, growling and punching into a machine. The pieces went flying, sprinkled over the ground.

Sonic rolled across the dirt, spinning into enemies with loud crashes. Tails grabbed a long metal pole from the rubble, holding it up defensively.

Shadow bounced from trunk to trunk, smashing through robots. He landed on one's shoulders and punched into its head, sparks shooting out. He flipped off and kicked through another, landing smoothly.

Storm looked around, feeling a little left out. The others were taking care of the robots so quickly that there were barely any left for her. Only Tails also stood, glaring at the foes. She could tell that he wasn't a fighter like the others.

A robot turned and rushed at the yellow fox, who prepared to swing the pole he held. Storm ran forward and slammed into the machine, smashing it into a tree.

"Thanks," Tails smiled. "You're fast."

She winked. "No problem."

Another enemy raced at her. She swept out its legs and kicked it into the air. She jumped up, spinning into a black and red ball and crashing through the center of the robot. She shot back down as it was still air born and watched the two pieces fall to her. Then she jumped up and spun around, kicking twice and sending the pieces into another machine.

Shadow kicked the head off another robot and landed, looking around. There weren't any more. "That's all there is."

"What was that about?" Knuckles questioned. "Why would Eggman keep robots at his base? Unless . . ."

"Unless there is something to find here," Sonic finished.

"There is," Tails told them, smiling. He held up a charred and dirty half sheet of paper.

"What's that?" Storm asked as they all went over to him.

The fox studied it, some dirt getting on his white gloves. "I can make out some numbers, a few letters, and maybe some symbols. I may be able to clean this up."

"Sounds good," Sonic said. "Let's go back to Rouge's house and see if the others have found anything."

They started to walk off, leaving the destructive scene behind and heading into the tranquility of the forest. Shadow glanced back at the rubble, frowning. He was getting a bad feeling about the whole thing.

* * *

**Alright, things are moving along. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Please leave me a review! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Well, I got this one up fast! I started writing it, and just couldn't stop! I'm really happy with this chapter and I think you guys will enjoy it! Thanks to Dark-Illusion-Detective, Farming Chick (thanks, I hope that's the last of my projects!), and saraht18 for your reviews!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic. But I do own Shadow. Oh, never mind, that was just my dream last night. –sigh- Storm is my OC, she belongs to me! **

**Rated T for violence**

**CH. 8**

The group studied what they'd found, the items laying on the coffee table in Rouge's living room. There was a vile of dirt, a charred half sheet of paper, and some machine parts. Evening sunlight slanted into the windows, illuminating the long black couch and shining on the wall-mounted television.

"So, here's what we have," Tails said, studying the items. "Rouge, did you find anything?"

The white bat nodded. "I found out that that monstrous robot was remote controlled via satellite."

This elicited a few gasps, heads jerking up. Shadow's eyes narrowed.

"Do you think Eggman could hack into a satellite undetected?" Storm asked.

"Maybe," Rouge responded, "or he's using his own."

"Alright," Tails straightened. "I'll run tests on the dirt, clean up the paper, and examine the machine parts and tell you guys what I find."

There was a moment of silence.

"Um . . ." Amy began, "are you gonna need any help, Tails?"

"Yeah, we can try to help," Sonic offered.

Cheese cooed in agreement.

The fox scratched the back of his head, grinning. "No thank, I've got it. This stuff is easy. Give me two hours and I'll be done." He turned to Rouge. "Can you show me a place to set up a quick lab?"

"Um, sure. Follow me." Rouge and Tails carrying the items walked off.

Sonic stretched his arms. "Two hours, huh? I'm going to go running. See ya." With a rustle of wind he was gone.

Storm bit her lip, looking over at Shadow. She really needed to make progress with him, she didn't know how much longer she'd have an opportunity to bring GUN there. If they were off chasing Eggman, if they were in outer space, she was doomed for sure.

_Not good, Storm, _she thought to herself. _The Commander would not be happy._

_I agree, Storm. He'd probably lock you up forever in that underground facility and feed you broccoli every day._

She shivered in horror. Not broccoli. The Commander knew she hated that. He'd never-

"Hey, Shadow," Storm said, "do you want to go for a walk to pass the time?"

He looked at her, frowning, but replied, "Okay."

"Have fun," Cream called as they headed out.

Outside it was warm and windy, the country acres stretching around them. Clouds were splattered across the sky and forests could be seen in the distance. Some birds flew by, their small shadows passing over the thick grass.

"So . . ." Storm began, struggling for a conversation topic, "nice weather."

He looked at her, red eyes alight with amusement. "Did you really want to walk and talk about the weather?"

She let out a small laugh. "No . . . I . . . just wanted to spend time with you."

He stared at her, his expression unreadable. She instantly regretted that sentence, that was coming on too strong. That might even turn him away.

She quickly added, "I mean because you seem . . . more mature than the others." Well, that didn't help. "I mean you're more serious." That sounded like an insult. "Well, I don't mean . . . I . . ."

Shadow stopped, fully facing her. "Storm, is there something you want to tell me?"

He sounded sincere, kind. She glanced around the land, her long black and red spikes blowing to the side. She looked down at the grass, then back up at him. "Do you think I can fit in here?"

She stunned herself. Where had that come from? She could feel honest, raw emotion behind it. But she could also tell that that was the right thing to say because he visibly softened.

They began walking again as Shadow asked, "How long has it been since you had a home?"

She was glad he wasn't looking at her. She swallowed the lump in her throat and answered, "I don't even want to think about it."

"Do you like it here?"

"I do," she replied softly. "What you guys do, it's exciting and meaningful. And I know this group is a little dysfunctional but that's what makes it so charming."

He gave a sideways grin. "What dysfunctions?"

She smiled. "Well, I've noticed Rouge and Knuckles' love/hate relationship. And that Amy is always chasing after Sonic. And Knuckles' bad temper. Rouge's . . . attitude seems to get on Amy's nerves. And Sonic seems completely uninterested in a romantic relationship."

He chuckled. "I guess you're right."

"So, how did you get friends with them?"

Shadow watched some birds dance in the air as he replied, "We were rivals when we first met."

"That's interesting. How did things change?"

He paused. "I guess I changed."

Storm looked at him, her dark red belted tunic blowing in the wind. "Not many people can change themselves. You must be special."

Inwardly, he found that humorous. They walked in silence for awhile, the house shrinking behind them. The smell of grass filled the warm air and the distant woods drew closer.

Shadow looked at her. "I saw you fighting at Eggman's base. You seem rather fast." His red eyes shone with adrenaline. "Want to race to the woods?"

She put her hands on her hips. "Oh, Shadow, it's only fair to warn you that I'm extraordinarily fast."

"So am I."

She grinned widely. "You're on!" She instantly took off, sending blades of grass flying. She relished the feeling of running free, her legs pumping and wind beating against her.

Shadow ran after her, his shoes gliding over the ground. He quickly caught up to her, smiling.

Storm smiled back. That was the closest she'd seen him come to actually smiling. She wondered what he looked like when he was truly happy.

_Why aren't you truly happy? _she thought.

Shadow started to pass her, the thrill of speed burning in his body. The grass was just a blur under him.

She watched, thunderstruck, as he moved further ahead of her. She gritted her teeth, increasing her speed, but still couldn't catch up to him.

Shadow reached the woods, abruptly stopping and crossing his arms. Leaves flung off of trees and branches bent from the momentum he left behind. "Not quite fast enough."

Storm stopped next to him, panting. "Well, I'm humbled. But can you do this?" She jumped up, flipped over, and landed on a thick branch high in the tree. She had one white gloved hand on her hip showily.

Shadow looked up at her, the sun shining through patches in the leaves. He jumped, flipped, and landed a few branches above her, smirking.

She narrowed her red eyes. The nerve of this guy! She turned to a towering tree several feet away and leaped at it, cutting through the cool, earthy-scented air. She landed on a branch, turning back to the black hedgehog.

Shadow jumped off and landed smoothly in the branches of the tree just farther than hers.

She crossed her arms. "I'm warning you, Shadow, I'll start trying now!"

He spread his arms. "Go ahead."

The two jumped and dashed about the forest, upsetting the peaceful animal life and frequently breaking thin branches. Storm pushed herself to go faster, jump higher, and leap farther. But no matter how hard she tried Shadow was just faster, just higher, and just further. Who was this guy?

Storm landed beside a creek, its water bubbling over the rocks. "Okay, I give up, you're better!"

Shadow dropped down next to her. "You put up a good fight."

She sat down on a smooth, cool boulder. "So what are you, some sort of super hedgehog?"

He chuckled, sitting on a boulder beside hers. "Something like that."

They regarded the creek, the water so clean they could see the pebble-filled bottom. They could hear the cries of birds far above, and the rustle of leaves in the breeze. The water sparkled where sunlight touched it.

"So, what other villains have you faced?" she asked.

"Me personally?"

"Sure, why not?"

Shadow considered a moment. "I've fought many robots, a being named Mephiles, sometimes GUN is my enemy."

She nodded. _Since when is GUN _not _somebody's enemy?_

"And Black Doom, leader of the Black Arms."

She looked to him. "Who's that?"

He shifted his position, drawing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. "An alien lord who wanted to take over the planet. I kicked him off."

She smiled. "Sounds like he better not come back."

There was a moment of silence as they watched a few leaves flutter down to float on the water. Ripples spread out from them as the leaves drifted off.

Storm leaned back on her hands. "I had a dream last night. I was flying over the city and I saw all of you guys on the street. I landed and told you how great it felt and asked you to fly with me. You guys laughed but it wasn't at me, it was with me. I laughed because I was happy."

He looked at her, studying her face. "You don't seem like the type to be unhappy."

"I'm not usually. I try not to be. You know what they say: Life isn't about waiting out the storms, it's about learning to dance in the rain."

Shadow's heart stopped. He stared at her, eyes wide, body frozen. He was glad that she was watching the water and not looking at him. Maria's voice, saying those words to him, played over in his head.

"Where did you hear that?" he whispered.

"It was a favorite saying of one of my friends."

His heart came back alive, pounding loudly in his ears. He hoped she couldn't hear it. "Who?"

Storm looked uncomfortable, bitterness in her eyes. "I don't want to talk about him."

Shadow felt relief wash through his body. Him. Not Maria. As he began to relax, he shook his head. Of course it wasn't Maria, what a ridiculous thing to think. If Storm had been on the ARK, he would have known.

She stood, stretching. "We should probably head back."

He nodded. "Good idea." He also stood. " . . . Storm?"

"Shadow?"

He paused. "I had a good time."

She smiled. "Me too."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The first thing Tails said to the group once they were all seated in Rouge's living room was, "I think I know where Eggman is."

This caused an immediate reaction. They all sat up straighter, a few throwing out questions such as, "Where?" "How?" and "Are you sure?"

From where Tails stood in front of the large fireplace, he looked over the group. Amy and Cream sat in a comfy chair, Knuckles standing beside it. On the sofa sat Sonic, Shadow, Storm, and Rouge.

Tails held up the glass vile of dirt. "From tests I ran on this, I found traces of chemicals used in aircrafts and rockets. Then I cleaned up what I could of this paper." He held that up, showing a collection of complex mathematical problems all jumbled together.

Knuckles shrugged, hating it when Tails didn't explain complicated things. "So, what is that? For all I know it's rocket science."

"Actually, it is," the fox answered. "Dr. Eggman was working out factors for his rocket. And Rouge said that the robot had satellite control. All this leads me to believe that Eggman is in space."

"That's pretty general, though," Amy said. "I mean, where exactly in space? Are we talking in orbit, or –"

"I think I figured that out, too," Tails nodded. "I examined the pieces of machine you and Cream found. Those parts were complex and very serious science. We're talking parts that only the highest-paid government-employed scientists could get their hands on. Dr. Eggman didn't get those parts on this planet."

Everyone looked at him expectantly, all the information sinking in.

"I only know of one other place Eggman would have access to those kinds of things," Tails said.

"Where?" Sonic asked, already believing he knew the answer.

Tails turned to him and said, "The ARK."

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**So now they know where Eggman is! I hope you guys liked this chapter, it just flowed when I wrote it! I put a Sonic video up on YouTube! The link is in my profile, so please check it out, I'd love to hear your opinions!**

**Please review! 8D**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry about the late update. I lost track of time, honestly. 8D But here's the chapter and I think you'll really like it! **

**I think I forgot to mention last chapter, to those of you that haven't read ARK, but the "dance in the rain" quote was a motif in that fanfic. Maria said it to Shadow once, and he recalled it a few times throughout the fic, and it was the closing line of the entire story. So yeah, that's why Shadow had such a strong reaction to it. It meant a lot to him. **

**Dark-Illusion-Detective: **I'm glad you're liking it! Thanks for the review!

**Farming Chick: **lol Yeah, the ARK is a very good place to hide! Thanks for the review!

**KaiThePhaux: **Thank you! I simply love to write Shadow because he's so complex, so it's great to hear that I'm getting him right! Thanks for your review!

**WerehogWatcher: **Oh are you now? Lol Well, when things come full circle, tell me if your theory was right or at least close! 8D Thanks for reviewing!

**ShadowandMaria4Ever: **Aw, thanks so much! And thanks for the review!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic**

**Rated T for violence**

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**CH. 9**

"Dr. Eggman is in the ARK?" Cream gasped.

Tails nodded, looking over the group in Rouge's living room. "That's what all the evidence points to."

Sonic looked at Shadow beside him. The black hedgehog's eyes were narrowed, anger burning in them. Storm looked stunned while Knuckles looked inconvenienced.

"So, we're going to the ARK?" the echidna asked.

Sonic nodded, standing. "We are."

"Are you okay, Shadow?" Rouge asked, eyeing her friend's scowl.

Shadow slightly relaxed. "I'm fine."

"When can we leave?" Amy asked, sitting in a large chair with Cream.

The yellow fox thought for a moment, his two tails flicking. "Well, I'd have to do some work on the X Tornado. Maybe a week. Sooner if I had some help."

"No problem," Sonic nodded. "How about two or three of us help you and we can switch on and off?"

"I'd like that," Tails replied.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Rouge said.

Knuckles pounded his fists together. "Then we can get back my Master Emerald!"

"And get Dr. Eggman out of the ARK," Shadow growled.

Tails nodded. "I'll start right away!"

"I'll help," Sonic volunteered.

Amy sprang up. "So will I! Let's go!"

"Amy . . ." the blue hedgehog moaned as the three headed off.

Rouge turned to Storm. "You've heard of the ARK, right?"

She nodded. "Yes, I have."

Storm's mind was spinning in panic. They'd be going to the ARK. She had less than a week to get GUN there. How much did Shadow trust her? Not enough, certainly.

_Ah, Storm, but don't forget you went walking with him, _she told herself.

_Oh, right, I'd forgot about that._

_How?_

_I . . .I forgot about my mission while I was with him._

_You enjoyed yourself too much._

_Since when is that a crime?_

Her comlink hidden behind her silver belt vibrated, interrupting her thoughts. She hopped up with a light thud.

"I'm going for a short run," she said. "I'll be back, guys."

Storm dashed out of the house, the sun warm and wind beating against her. She felt like she could breathe again, the stress passing. Coming to a halt, she took out her comlink. "Storm here."

"Progress report," the Commander's voice said.

"What progress?"

"On your mission!"

She smiled, rolling her eyes. "I gotcha, Commander. Things are going good."

"How much longer?"

She sighed. "Soon. Very soon."

"Good." There was a click and he was gone.

Storm put the comlink away. Freedom. It was less than a week away. She spread her arms out and turned her face up to the sun, closing her eyes. She wondered how good it would feel when she was at last free. When she never had to be imprisoned again. When she didn't have to worry about her next escape attempt or what to do to pass all those lonely hours. She couldn't believe she'd lasted so long.

_At least you still have your sanity, Storm._

She frowned. She really needed to stop talking to herself.

StH

Shadow twisted the screws tight in the blue panel, making sure it was secure. From his perch atop the large X Tornado, he had a good view of the large garage they were in, the door open to allow in sunlight. Rouge had moved her cars out to give them space.

He heard Rouge, somewhere under the craft, say, "Tails, sweetie, I have no idea where this goes."

The fox's voice replied, echoing in the large space, "Okay, give me a second and I'll be over there."

"Hey!" Storm's voice exclaimed. "I'm missing a screw! Rouge, are you standing on it?"

Shadow smirked, moving on to another panel to secure over a mess of wires. The three had volunteered to help Tails for a few hours. A few days had passed since construction began and the pertinacious fox believed they'd be finished quickly. Tails worked on the craft tirelessly, and Sonic frequently had to force him to take a break.

When they weren't helping Tails the group was watching television, relaxing outside, going into the city, or sometimes splitting apart and keeping to themselves. When they didn't order food out Amy enthusiastically insisted on preparing meals, often with Cream helping her.

Shadow didn't like that Dr. Eggman was at the ARK. In fact, he hated it. It felt like the space colony was being corrupted and he was eager to get up there and stop the mad doctor. He wasn't sure what Eggman's intentions were. The last time Shadow was there he had made sure to shut down the Eclipse cannon so that it couldn't be used again. It had destroyed the Black Comet, its purpose was served. Assuming Dr. Eggman did steal the Master Emerald, and the coincidence between its disappearance and the robot's attack was too high to assume otherwise, what would he use it for?

He heard a bang and looked to see that Storm had hopped on top of the blue machine. In one hand she had a roll of paper towels and in the other a Windex bottle.

"Hey, "she greeted him. "Tails sent me up here to wash the windows, though I think he just wanted one less helper to babysit. Technology is not my thing."

Shadow laughed as he watched her crouch next to the cockpit glass, the blue liquid in the bottle splashing against the sides with her movement.

Rouge called up, "Shadow, can you hand me a wrench?"

"Sure, "he responded, grabbing one from the pile of tools at his side. He turned and gave it to the bat that had flown up.

She winked. "Thanks, sugar." Then she flew back down.

Storm frowned at the space where Rouge had been, her hand holding a paper towel to the glass and the chemical smell in her nose. She turned to Shadow, who was back securing square panels.

"Sugar?" Storm questioned.

"Rouge." He said her name as an explanation.

The black female hedgehog turned back to her work, scrubbing at the window, unable to name or place a cause to the emotion that made her brow wrinkle and stomach clench, her hands moving faster. "So . . . you and Rouge are good friends?"

"Yes," he replied, remembering the bat saying to him, "Shadow . . . Even if you believe everyone in the world will be against you, know that I'll always remain by your side. Remember that." He wondered if Rouge knew how much that meant to him. He added, "I'd never give up her friendship."

Storm scrubbed the glass in small circles. "But you're just friends, right?"

Shadow stopped his work, the screw clanging as it dropped from the hole. He looked at her back, frowning. "Yes."

"You two have never-"

"We're only friends," he replied, picking up the screw and tightening it. "I think she and Knuckles are interested in each other."

"So do I, though, I wouldn't mention that to the echidna."

Shadow felt a smile tugging at the edges of his mouth. He finished the last panel and stood, stretching his legs. He walked over and sat down beside Storm. "It looks good, window washer."

She grinned. "Don't degrade my job."

Storm looked at both of their reflections in the glass, and her grin slowly faded. Shadow's expression was back to being unreadable. She knew that they looked alike, but seeing them both at the same time made her feel uneasy. They were the same shades of black and red, with the same color of eyes and skin. But where his quills flipped out, hers were shaped like Sonic's, only longer. He had narrow eyes and hers were large. The red that crowed his eyes was much larger around hers, accenting her eyelashes.

Storm shut down the thought process that had begun, knowing if she let that thought settle, she might lose her resolve. It was a coincidence, that was all.

Tails and Rouge flew up on top of the machine, landing lightly. The hedgehogs turned to look at them.

"Thanks for helping, guys," Tails said. "I think I'll take a short break and then get other volunteers."

"It's not a problem," Storm told him, she and Shadow standing. "We have to stop Eggman."

The yellow fox nodded. "That's the most important thing."

Rouge placed a hand on her hip, turning to her female friend. "Hey, Storm, do you want to go shopping with me? I need a new pair of shoes."

"Sure," she replied.

Shadow shook his head, walking to the edge of the X Tornado. "I'll leave you two to your shoe shopping."

"Bye," Tails waved.

The girls waved back and left the large garage, heading inside the house and down a hall. The air was much cooler inside, smelling of a floral air freshener.

"It looks like Tails is almost done," Storm said.

"Yeah, everyone seems eager to take down Eggman and get him off the ARK. Especially Shadow."

Storm glanced at her. "Why especially Shadow?"

"Oh, I forget you don't know. The ARK was his home."

_No!_

"He was born there," Rouge continued. "And lived there until the disaster fifty years ago where GUN more or less killed everybody."

_No, no, no-_

The bat looked over at her. "He's the Ultimate Life Form, perhaps you've heard of that title?"

Storm felt herself fraying at the edges. She didn't know how much longer she could hold herself together. "Oh, yeah, that's familiar. Cool. Um, Rouge, could you excuse me a moment? I've got to use the restroom."

Rouge stopped, making a dismissive gesture. "Sure, I'll –" With a gust of wind Storm had darted away.

She shot through the halls, feeling her seams ripping. When she reached the restroom she sped inside and slammed the door shut behind her, locking it with a click. She was faced with a large white room with a gold-trimmed sink, a purple rug, and a large mirror.

Storm dropped to the cold floor as she shattered, hot tears spilling out of her eyes and blinding her. She buried her face in her hands, choking back her sobs. Her body was shaking uncontrollably.

Shadow was the Ultimate Life Form. Of course he was. She'd known that since the Commander first showed her his picture, she'd just not allowed herself to think about it. She'd shoved that to the darkest, dustiest corners of her mind and built a wall around it. Because she knew if she came to terms with who Shadow was, she didn't know if she'd have the will to continue her mission. She could do _anything _the Commander asked her, but not this.

_You _have _to, Storm! You can't go back to Prison Island, it'll kill you!_

_I can't turn Shadow in! _

_Do you want your freedom or not?_

Heavy, uneven breathing wracked through her body as she curled against the bathroom door, her unending tears soaking her gloves and splattering against the tiled floor.

"It's so unfair," she whispered.

Why was life so hard? Why couldn't everything be right and good and fine? Why was there so much pain? And why was it that emotional wounds left scars like physical wounds never could?

Storm took a deep breath, struggling to calm herself down. Rouge would come looking for her if she didn't get back. And soon, so very soon, she'd have her freedom.

Never before had it tasted so bittersweet.

* * *

**The quote that Shadow remembered Rouge telling him is from the Sonic the Hedgehog '06 game. **

**Well, there's that. 8D Have a happy Halloween everybody! I updated my profile and put links to some other places on the web where you can find me, if you want to check it out. Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everybody! The other day I bought my dog, Frizbee, a new toy. 8D It's a squeaking fuzzy hedgehog and I named it Shadow. I taught her its name and it's so cute when I go out to play with her and say "Go get Shadow!" and she'll run over and pick him out of her food bowl (I don't know why she puts him in there. . . )**

**Farming Chick: **Don't worry, you're suppose to be confused. ;) Thanks, I'm glad you liked my videos! I downloaded the cutscenes from YouTube using DVDVideoSoft. Thanks for reviewing!

**Dark-Illusion-Detective: **Haha, yeah, I tend to talk to myself, too! I though it would be appropriate for her since she spent so much time in a cell by herself. Thanks for the review!

**WerehogWatcher: **I'm honored you named a chapter after ARK! That story was so unlike anything I've ever done, and I'm so glad it got such a great response! Thanks for your review!

**KaithePhaux: **Thanks! It's great to hear that I have them in character! As a fanfiction author, that's probably the best compliment I can receive! You can draw Shadow? Lucky. I can draw, but Sonic characters escape me. –sigh- Thanks for reviewing!

**And thanks to Laras Dopplehoe and ShadowandMaria4Ever for your wonderful reviews!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic**

**Rated T for violence**

**CH. 10**

"I have fantastic news!" Tails announced to the group that was lounging in the living room. The morning sunlight lit up the expensive black sofa and chairs, the long coffee table, luxurious fireplace, and wall-mounted television.

"What is it?" Amy asked.

The fox beamed, his blue eyes shining with excitement. "The X Tornado is ready for space!"

Cheers sounded in the room, smiles lighting up everyone's faces. Storm hoped she looked happy enough on the outside, because on the inside she was dying. She didn't have enough time. For what? To get Shadow to trust her? She knew that was a lie. He trusted her enough for her mission. She didn't have enough time left in this life. She'd never be able to be part of this wonderful group of friends again. She'd never be able to watch television with Amy and Cream, to smile at Sonic's optimism, to make fun of the echidna, to listen to Tails speak in techno-language, to hang out with Rouge, or to talk to Shadow.

Storm sighed. _Well, it was great while it lasted. I'm going to miss all of them. I hope they'll forgive me._

"So, we can go to the ARK?" Cream asked, brown eyes wide.

Tails nodded. "Anytime we're ready."

Sonic hopped up, stretching. "Well, we've been working really hard, and Eggman isn't going anywhere. What do you guys say to heading over to the amusement park for an hour or two before we leave?"

Cheers erupted again, louder this time.

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't having fun be the last thing on our list? I want the Master Emerald back.  
"Oh, relax, Knuckles, we'll get it," Rouge smiled.

"Try to have fun for once," Amy said.

As they prepared to leave, Storm dashed outside, pressing herself against the house. The sun warmed her, high up in the blue sky, the country stretching out around her. She activated her comlink.

"Storm?" the Commander asked.

"Hi to you, too. Listen, they're heading to the amusement park for awhile, and then they're going up to the – up in space."

"Space? Why?"

" . . . I don't know."

"It doesn't matter. We'll be there. Where will you bring Shadow?"

Storm glanced around. "There's a forest north of the house. I'll bring him there. You still have my location, right?"

"Of course I do. Is that all?"

" . . . Yeah . . ."

"Storm?"

She sighed, rubbing her red eyes. "What?"

"Do this correctly and you'll be free."

"I'm counting on it, Commander."

He hung up and she put away her comlink, slumping against the wall. She felt her stomach twisting, dread washing through her. She just wanted to get her mission over with.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The amusement park was alive with color, filled with the sounds of machinery, screaming, and laughter, and smelling of fried food. Small stands crowded together, the arches of a roller coaster rose up thrillingly, a Ferris wheel towered over the people, and other rides spun, twisted, and swung over the concrete. The group stood at the entrance, looking over the scene.

Cream turned to the fox gleefully. "Hey, Tails, do you want to try to win prizes with me?"

"Sure!" he replied, and the two dashed off.

Amy gripped Sonic's gloved hand. "I see a romantic Ferris wheel, let's go!"

Sonic cried out as he was dragged off into the crowds.

Knuckles crossed his arms angrily. "I refuse to take part in this nonsense! We should be going after the Master Emerald!"

"Don't be such a grouch, Knuckie," Rouge teased.

His face reddening, the echidna fumed wordlessly. Shadow watched the park around him with detached interest. Storm was trying to ignore the gut-wrenching dread that had settled in her stomach like a stone.

Rouge's eyes danced over the rides until they settled on one in particular. "Hey! Let's all go through the spook house!"

"Sounds good," Storm quickly agreed. Anything to distract her.

"I guess I'll come," Shadow nodded.

Knuckles snorted. "No way."

"Aw, come on," the bat winked. "You're not scared, are you?"

He stormed passed them. "If you're going to be like that, _I'll _lead the way."

Shadow chuckled as the three followed. They made their way through the frenetic crowds, brilliant colors all around them. After waiting for a short period in line, they came to the metal tracks with carts to ride in.

Rouge glanced back at Shadow and Storm, who were standing together and peering into the darkness, before yanking Knuckles into the hard seat beside her. "You can ride with me!"

"Wha-?" The echidna was appalled.

The two hedgehogs sat in the cart behind their friends and with a shudder the ride started.

They were taken into a tunnel without lights, the darkness so thick they couldn't see each other. It was silent and still, the air smelling of moisture. They could hear echoes of movement further up in the ride.

Storm felt herself slightly relax, glad for the distraction. The warmth radiating from Shadow's body reminded her of his propinquity. She was still in awe that he was the Ultimate Life Form. After all this time, she finally met him.

"Don't sit so close!" Knuckles' snarl echoed in the tunnel.

Storm found herself smiling. She turned to where she knew Shadow was. "Don't get scared, Shadow."

He chuckled. "I don't get scared."

"Really?"

A dull red light broke through the darkness, making the rock walls, the metal cart, and one another visible. As they moved along blood became smeared on the walls and skeletons dangled from the ceiling.

Rouge gripped the echidna's arm. "Hold me, Knuckie, I'm scared!"

"You are not and stop calling me that!"

Shadow shook his head and he and Storm exchanged looks.

It became darker again, though not to the extent it was before. The cart creaked and rattled under them. Storm looked absently out her side when a skeleton dropped from the ceiling on chains, a horn blaring. She cried out in surprise, throwing herself backward and into Shadow.

He looked down at her, raising a brow. "Are you okay?"

Her heart pounded in her chest as she caught her breath. "Yeah . . . that was . . . unexpected." Suddenly she was acutely aware of the warmth of Shadow's body against her. She sat up, sliding to her side. "Sorry."

He seemed amused. "It's fine."

Storm saw Rouge look back at her, winking, and her face got hot. Rouge seemed to be so casual about everything. Knuckles was perceivably angry that they were straying from their mission. Shadow, as usual, was next to unreadable. She wondered how he learned to hide his emotions so well. He seemed to just be going along with everything, though she knew he wanted to get to the ARK.

With a sinking heart Storm realized he'd never make it to the ARK.

Dread enveloped her again and she didn't speak for the rest of the ride, watching the horrors they passed in disinterest.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They arrived at Rouge's house, and Storm felt sick with anxiety. Her throat was thick and tight, her legs wobbly, and her heart thundered in her chest. Still smiling, the group headed toward the front door. Storm knew she had to act now, the knowledge making her want to throw up.

_Go, Storm! This is your freedom!_

Swallowing, she touched Shadow's arm, causing him to turn to her. The warm sunlight bathed his puzzled expression, a breeze shifting his quills.

"Shadow," she said. "Can I speak to you alone? There's something I have to tell you."

Shadow studied her. He'd never seen her red eyes hold so much emotion. Fear, sadness, and indecision churned in her gaze, and he felt his heart go out to her. What was causing her so much pain.

"Sure," he agreed.

Storm glanced around, mocking like she was searching for a place to talk. Then she gripped his hand and headed for the woods. Her feet felt like lead as they moved over the thick grass, each step bringing her further pain. She was doing this for her freedom. Freedom. Freedom. It gave her just enough willpower to keep going.

They entered the woods, the sun's warmth gone. The thick branches blocked out direct light, the scent of dirt and bark making Storm want to cough. Too much air out there, too little air in here. She couldn't seem to breathe.

After a few more feet she stopped, turning to face him. She couldn't meet his eyes. "Shadow . . ."

"What's wrong?" he sounded genuinely concerned.

Then she heard it. The short whistle and Shadow's gasp. She looked up in time to see him yank the syringe from his arm. A GUN soldier jumped from the trees, striking Shadow across the face with his gun. The hedgehog fell, struggling to scramble to his feet. He couldn't seem to find his balance. Why did he let his guard down?

Storm physically felt her heart break as she watched more soldiers emerge, kicking the hedgehog roughly. Then another syringe was shot into his arm.

"Stop." A captain's voice ran out, echoing off the thick trees. "He's no longer a threat."

Storm turned to see a GUN captain walk up to Shadow, looking down at him. "Send a message to the Commander and prepare the jet."

Shadow managed to push himself up on his hands and knees, looking to Storm. As their eyes connected, Storm saw that he knew. He knew that she'd betrayed him.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

He didn't respond. His eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed, unconscious.

The captain turned to her. "The Commander wishes to speak to you before he releases you."

Storm crossed her arms, anger igniting in her veins. Normally she would have refused, but not now.

"Good," she spat, "because I have something I'd like to discuss with him."

* * *

**Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11 Part II

**Hey, friends! Here's the next chapter and it begins part two of the story. There will be three parts to it. I'm very, very proud of this chapter and I think you'll love it! **

**KaiThePhaux: **I'm glad you liked his capture! Honestly, I wasn't so sure about it, I didn't know if I'd written it with enough intensity. Good to hear I did! Thanks! I'm happy you like Storm and it's always great to hear I have them in-character! Thanks for reviewing!

**WerehogWatcher: **The reason behind his capture is mentioned in this chapter. Thanks for the review!

**Dark-Illusion-Detective: **Haha, glad to hear Storm's actions have you split. 8D That was the desired effect and it's great to hear I pulled it off! Thanks for your review!

**DragonQueen09: **8D All right! Here's the next chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

**Farming Chick: **lol You were brave for the haunted house! I probably would have been like your sister, honestly, haha. Thanks for the review!

**PerlaNemesis: **Thanks! I'm glad you like it! And thanks for your review!

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic, Storm is my OC**

**Rated T for violence**

"_You ain't the only one who feels like this world left you far behind  
__I don't know why you gotta be angry all the time."  
__-Angry All the Time by Tim McGraw_

**Part II**

**CH. 11**

Storm shoved open the thick metal doors of the Commander's office before they had time to open themselves. They made a loud bang as they hit the walls, and Storm hoped she'd made a mark.

The Commander jumped in his chair behind his cherry wood desk, startled. He wore his well-pressed gray uniform, his silver hair combed back, his two colored eyes staring at her.

Storm marched across the thick carpet, shouting, "Why didn't you tell me?!"

After a pause the Commander sighed, relaxing. He glanced at his tenth-story window, the jungle spread out over Prison Island. The warm sun that came through shone off the stacks of papers, telephone, and computer at his desk, casting shadows behind the expensive furniture set about.

"Tell you what?" he asked calmly.

Storm came right up to the desk, red eyes burning, and slammed her hands down on it, shaking the computer. "Don't play stupid with me, I'm not in the mood."

Straightening out the fancy computer, he asked, "I suppose your presence means Shadow has been successfully captured and brought here. I merely requested you to return to ensure you weren't playing a trick." He met her eyes again, inhaling the air that smelled heavily of cleaning products. "You have your freedom. You may go."

She narrowed her eyes, leaning forward threateningly. "I know who Shadow is. Why didn't you tell me he was the Ultimate Life Form?"

"It was irrelevant. A target is a target."

"That's a load of-"

"Besides, that may have changed your mind. I knew if you had found out, it would be after you had a taste of freedom." He smiled. "And that would be too tempting to resist."

Storm growled, her veins burning with anger. Partly because he was right.

The Commander made a dismissive gesture. "You may go."

"Tell me what you're going to do with him."

Seeming more annoyed than defensive, he replied, "Experiments, what do you think? We want to find the source of his power, and try to duplicate it." Upon seeing her expression, he added, "He won't be harmed."

Storm was unconvinced. "Was I not good enough?"

"You're not him. Besides, he's too dangerous. He must remain in captivity."

She gave him an animal-like snarl, glaring viciously. "You have no right to treat him like a science project."

"That's what he is," he replied calmly.

"He has his own life, his own thoughts and dreams and feelings. And so do I."

"Well, you're free, so your troubles are over."

She clenched her teeth. "He never asked to be the Ultimate Life Form." The Commander met her eyes, unwavering, offering no response. Sighing, she felt her tension ease fractionally. "So I can go?"

"Yes, please do. And don't come back."

"And Shadow won't be hurt?"

With an exasperated sigh, he looked up at her and said in a measured tone, "Storm, you have no right to be attached to him."

She gritted her teeth, tightening her hold on the edge of the desk. "He's the only reason I exist, so I think that's enough." She shoved off the desk, turning and heading for the door.

The Commander's voice called, "All you are is a science experiment gone wrong, both of you. You're not human."

Storm stopped by the door and looked back at him. "We may not be human, but he has more heart than everyone combined in this sick agency." She went out, slamming the door shut behind her.

When Storm exited the building, the hot sun beat down on her. She did a quick survey of her surroundings, seeing the thick jungle and GUN soldiers walking about. One camouflaged jeep rumbled by, and a tank stood to the side.

She was angry, the feeling like fire inside of her. She was angry at GUN, angry at the Commander, but mostly she was angry at herself. She had been the Commander's puppet, doing his bidding and getting him what he wanted. And what he wanted was Shadow. She could imagine how upset Sonic, Rouge, and the others would be when they found out.

Eyeing one scrawny soldier heading toward the towering gray building, Storm dashed to him, grabbing his uniform and slamming him into the hard wall. Then she pulled him down to a seated position so she could look into his wide eyes.

"Where is the Ultimate Life Form being kept?" she growled.

"I-It's in the Commander's building. Bottom f-floor."

"Thanks." She yanked away from him and darted back inside. She figured the soldier wouldn't raise any alarm or report her. More than likely he was scurrying away hoping his peers didn't see that. No GUN soldier would admit to spilling a secret anyway.

Storm walked quickly down the gray halls, her footsteps echoing. She knew the building well enough to be confident of her route. She wasn't sure what she planned on doing, she just knew she had to see Shadow. She had to explain things to him. He at least deserved to know why.

She reached the bottom story and headed to the only room in the hall, passing surveillance cameras. The Commander was probably watching her but she didn't care.

She stopped, studying the locked door. There was a keypad and a place to swipe a cared. Irritation flaring, she punched a hole through the door above the handle and opened it from the inside.

The room was small and white, formed into a perfect square. Two cameras swiveled in opposite corners. There were cabinets and a sink, along with computers lining one wall. A table with metal straps sat to one side, and it made Storm feel sick to look at it. A small section of the floor was cut out, bars blocking the opening. She slowly walked up to it, peering inside. All she could see was darkness. She assumed that it went down several yards.

"Shadow?" she called tentatively, dropping to her knees.

A pause, then, "Storm, I swear I'll kill you."

She bit her lip, feeling those words pierce her heart. She searched the blackness, but couldn't see him. "Shadow, I'm sorry."

He snorted, and she heard the sound of chains clanking against the floor. "Sorry? How can you be sorry when you're up there and I'm down here?"

She regarded the bars that blocked the entrance. "You're right. I'm not sorry for what I did. I'm just sorry that it had to be you, someone I had started to consider my friend."

His words were dripped with venom as he snarled, "_We are not friends."_

"We shouldn't have been. I got too attached . . . to all of you." She looked back into the darkness. "But you have to understand that I was a prisoner here. The only way for me to get my freedom was to give them you."

"Who are you, Storm?"

"I'm your prototype."

He was silent, no sound coming from his prison. She shifted uncomfortably, swallowing. The white floor was cold under her knees, the computer screens flashing to the side.

Finally, he said, "Explain."

"I was after the Biolizard," she responded. "Before you. But when Gerald took me down to Earth to show to the scientific community, they deemed me too dangerous." She closed her eyes at the memory. "I was locked away on Prison Island, and I've been there ever since."

His voice was a level softer. "Did you know Maria?"

She cocked her head to the side. "Who?"

"Maria Robotnik. The Professor's granddaughter."

"Oh, no I didn't. She was a very small child, she was in daycare mostly."

He fell into silence again, and she could only imagine that he was contemplating her words.

Storm stood up. "I just wanted to tell you why. And to apologize."

When he spoke, the bitter tone was back. "Well, I'm glad everything worked out for you."

She closed her red eyes. "The only person I've had for all these years is myself. I have to look out for me first." She turned and headed for the door, adding, "I'm glad to have at last met you, Ultimate Life Form."

Then she was gone.

* * *

Shadow leaned against the cold wall of his prison, the darkness so thick that he could barely make out his own body. Far, far above him was the barred entrance, the light on the other side dull. His cell wasn't very large, and the air was stuffy.

He examined the chains that kept him from moving. Two heavy iron shackles locked his wrists together, so large they traveled up his arm. A short length of chain extended from it to the floor, and Shadow had the impression that much of the chain was secured underground to prevent any escape. His ankles were shackled separately, chains running from them to the floor.

He sighed, the sound carrying in the space. His ribs slightly ached from being kicked, and he still felt weak from the sedative.

He was angry at himself for being caught. For so easily letting down his guard. He knew why GUN wanted him. It was for the same reasons they always wanted him. They thought he was too dangerous and they were jealous of his power. One GUN soldier had mentioned the Commander, and Shadow could only assume who they were talking about.

The last time he'd seen the Commander was when the man was trying to kill him for revenge. He blamed Shadow for Maria's death. The memory made the hedgehog grit his teeth. That was ridiculous. He had been blamed for many things, but never for Maria's murder. But apparently the Commander had been a boy on the ARK, and Shadow somewhat remembered him. He had told the hedgehog he'd seen Black Doom creating him.

Shadow shifted his position, the chains clanking. The Professor had wanted Shadow to help mankind, to help Maria, but he could only create him with help from the sadistic alien Black Doom. Doom had wanted Shadow to serve him, to help him conquer the world. When the alien had arrived, Shadow had come to terms with who he was and why he was created. He made a decision. And then he kicked Doom's ass.

The black hedgehog smirked, the cold causing him to slightly huddle, supporting the weight of his wrist shackles on his legs.

Storm. His prototype. Why hadn't the Professor mentioned her? He supposed that made sense. He always wondered how the Professor could have gone from the Biolizard to him. Still, he was confused on the details. As soon as he broke out, he would make sure to get information from her.

He closed his eyes, leaning his head back. He refused to be GUN's prisoner again. The last time he'd been locked up for fifty years between the ARK invasion and Dr. Eggman releasing him. He would not stay here again.

He squeezed his eyes tighter against the painful memories that surged up, attacking him in full force. Being on this island, being a prisoner again, brought too many memories back. He had been alone with his pain for fifty years, always seeing the bullet tear into Maria's body, her blood soaking into his own white gloves. He recalled all the dead bodies they'd passed on their escape attempt. Guns. Machines. Soldiers. Running. Pain. Blood. Death. His whole world, everything and everyone he had known, had been torn from him in a single day.

A whimper escaped him as he struggled to repress the memories. He inwardly cursed GUN. He'd been doing so well, why did they bring him back to this place? What else could they possibly take from him? He had nothing.

Shadow knew that was wrong. He had started to build a life again. He'd started to care about things, to protect people, to have friends.

No. He wouldn't stay here. He wouldn't let GUN destroy him again.

* * *

**Okay, three things:**

**I know you might be a bit confused regarding Storm (you and Shadow, lol). But I will go into detail and explain things.**

**If you read ARK, I entered it in Mystery002's fanfic contest. If you like it the best, please vote for me! The link is in my profile, on the first line so you can't miss it! I appreciate you guys' support!**

**Have a happy Thanksgiving! **

**And please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry about not updating last month. The holidays and preparing for the new semester had me busy. Since I felt bad I hurried and typed this up, which means it's probably full of typos! Sorry about any you find, guys!**

**KaithePhaux: **Thanks bunches! 8D And thanks for reviewing!

**Farming Chick: **Glad you liked the Tim McGraw quote! I felt it would be a good opening to the second half of the story, as it relates to a lot of what'll go on. Thanks for the review!

**PerlaNemisis: **Thanks! And thanks for your review!

**Dark-Illusion-Detective: **Thanks! Sorry I kept you waiting. But here's the new chapter! And thanks for reviewing!

**Blue Kaous: **Thank you! Well, I don't frequent the Sonic fandom much (sadly, since I'm a huge Sonic fan), so I haven't read any other stories, but I hope you find Storm original and entertaining! Thanks for the review!

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic. Storm is my OC and does belong to me.**

**Rated T for violence **

**CH. 12**

Storm glared at the lavender sunrise, the gold rays shining brilliantly off the skyscrapers around her. From her position on the roof of one, she could see down into all the streets, cars moving sluggishly in the traffic. She could smell the greasy restaurants starting up their businesses, and hear the low murmur of noise from below.

She sighed heavily, her arms crossed. Her red eyes regarded the sunrise, a breeze stirring her long quills.

Freedom.

It wasn't how she had imagined. She always thought she'd be overwhelmed with joy, running wildly about and doing all the things her imprisonment had denied her.

But, instead, she felt no joy. Only a metallic bittersweet sting that ate at her core. It was an irrepressible, guilty churning inside her that had kept her up all night, on the same roof she was still standing on.

_You're free, Storm. Go, run, live!_

Her shoulders slumped. _I don't feel like it, Storm._

_Why not?_

_. . . Because of what I did. _She closed her eyes, pain building inside her. _Because I'm just as bad as GUN._

_No, you're not._

_I betrayed his trust and sold his life to GUN. What does that make me?_

_Hey, it was for your _freedom. _You couldn't have stayed there any longer, you're messed up as it is._

_Hey!_

_Sorry. But really, another opportunity like that might not have come along._

Storm sat down heavily, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

_But I'm not a bad person. Or hedgehog. Whatever. I don't do things like this! I put Shadow in the exact same position I was so desperate to get out of!_

_Good point. What would Gerald think?_

She moaned aloud, contemplating her options. Then a smile spread across her face. She hopped up. _You know what, I'm not going to allow GUN to change who I am. I'm going to get Rouge, Sonic, and the others, and we're going to rescue Shadow._

What?! _You just got outta that Hell hole, now you're going _back?!

_I have my freedom now, I can do whatever I want._

_If you go back there, that'll be the stupidest decision you've ever made._

She smirked. _You know what they say: to become old and wise, one must first be young and stupid._

She put her hands on her hips, the sun lighting up the battle gleam in her red eyes. Then she said aloud, "Let's give GUN something to remember me by."

* * *

Storm stood at the edge of the woods that surrounded Rouge's house, the shade doing little to relieve the heat of anxiety she felt. Standing close to the large house were Sonic and the others, seemingly in an emotional conversation.

"They'll kill me," she stated miserably, leaning against a rough trunk. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out into the warm sunshine and dashed the distance, abruptly stopping several feet from the group.

"Holy-" Knuckles shouted, startled, as they all whipped around to face her.

"Storm?" Sonic gasped, green eyes wide.

Instantly their shocked expressions turned to anger.

Storm held up her white gloved hands, shrinking back. "Whoa, hold on. Before you do anything rash, just let me explain."

"Explain what?" Rouge snapped. "We know everything."

Storm dropped her hands. "You . . . you do?"

Amy, standing with her arms crossed, said, "We were ready to leave so Cream went to get you and Shadow. She saw GUN soldiers carrying him into a jet, and _you _getting on with them!"

The small rabbit pointed an accusing finger at her, coming forward. "How dare you hurt Mr. Shadow! He was always nice to you!"

"He liked you!" Tails added.

Knuckles pounded his fists together, teeth bared. "If he's hurt, _you'll _be the first to pay!"

Storm took a step back. "I know, I know! I'm sorry!"

"You're sorry?" Sonic snapped. "Then why did you do it? Who are you?"

"I was GUN's prisoner. They offered me my freedom if I got them Shadow." She paused, then said, "I'm Shadow's prototype."

This was met with stares.

"His prototype?" Tails questioned.

The black hedgehog nodded. "I was created on the ARK by Professor Gerald. I was captured by GUN on my first visit to Earth."

"She's lying!" Knuckles roared.

Storm arched one brow, putting her hands on her hips. "Why would I lie about that?"

"So, then, what do you want?" Sonic asked.

"I like Shadow, too," she responded quietly, the breeze shifting her red clothes. "I like all of you. I did it to get out of imprisonment." She then straightened, meeting each of their eyes steadily. "But I want to rescue Shadow. I want to reverse the damage I did."

Her hope fell as she saw them exchange skeptic glances, the shadows of large clouds gliding over the grass.

"Sure, sure," Amy stated, turning to her. "I bet you told Shadow something like that, too."

"I'm not lying!" Storm exclaimed.

"Whatever," Rouge spat. "Go somewhere else. We're leaving right now to rescue Shadow and we don't need you."

"But I know the prison!" Storm shouted, desperate to regain their trust. "I practically know the entire island!"

Rouge crossed her gloved arms. "So do we. Shadow's been captured for about a day; I've been getting as much information as I can about Prison Island. Otherwise we'd already be gone."

"You don't know the prisons like I do," Storm stated firmly. "I've escaped a few times before. I know how to beat the security."

"Yeah, right," Knuckles scoffed, dreadlocks blowing to the side. "Then why were you still a prisoner?"

Storm frowned indignantly. "Getting off the island is the hard part. But with all of you, we should be fine."

"So, then, why do we need _your _help?" Sonic asked.

The question had lost much of its anger, and Storm could tell they were softening. Either she was convincing them, or they were tiring of her begging.

"I can get you in and out faster and with less problems," Storm said, putting as much conviction behind her words as she could. "And I want to make up for what I did. I feel so very, very bad. If I can't help you, I'll feel guilty forever. Please."

They regarded her in silence, occasionally exchanging glances with one another.

Then Cream said softly, "I think we should let her come. She feels bad, and I forgive her."

A bright smile spread across Storm's face. "Thank you."

Sonic sighed. "Fine, you can come. But that doesn't mean we trust you."

"Thank you," she repeated, sincerely.

Knuckles walked up to her, fists clenched and teeth bared. "Don't try anything funny, or I'll make you wish you hadn't come!"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, don't get your panties in a bunch. So," she looked to the rest of the group, "do you have a rescue plan?"

"Actually, "Rouge smiled sweetly, "we do."

* * *

**Please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry about the delay, guys! I was trying to catch up one of my fanfics that I'm terrible at updating! I'm surprised I still have readers for it! So, yeah, sorry about that. But I hope this chapter will make up for it!**

**KaithePhaux: **I'm glad you like how I portray Rouge! She's my second favorite character! Thanks for reviewing!

**Dark-Illusion-Detective: **Thanks! I tried to make it believable, because I figured they wouldn't be so quick to trust her again. Thanks for the review!

**And thanks to dragon queen 09, Farming Chick, WerehogWatcher, Shadow and Bunnie Forever, and PerlaNemisis for your wonderful reviews!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic**

**Rated T for violence**

**CH. 13**

The group crouched in the thick, green plant life on Prison Island, looking over the ferns and bushes at a twenty-foot tall electric fence. The jungle was alive with noises around them, the smell of dirt and bright sunshine surrounding them.

After quick deliberation at Rouge's place, they had come up with a loose plan. Storm had assured them that they could get by the three barriers that surrounded every base on Prison Island. After that, they would find a way in, Storm would lead them to Shadow, they would find a way to rescue him, and then make a quick escape.

Tails' ship, the X Tornado, was hidden in the jungle. Rouge had shown them where to fly and about where to land to stay out of sight. She seemed quite confident in her route, claiming that she had snuck in with Dr. Eggman before and knew the layout of the island, anyway. Tails was also confident with his cloaking device on the ship, assuring them it wouldn't be spotted on radar.

The rest of the group, save for Sonic, still remained a bit nervous. The X Tornado was their only escape. If that was compromised, they'd have to find another way off the island.

Storm pointed at the electric fence, glancing at the others. "That's the first barrier; there are no guards here."

"Are you sure?" Knuckles questioned.

"Positive. We just need to find a way past it." She frowned, drumming her white gloved fingers on the ground. "I once rode a car over it, and sometimes I build up momentum, bounce form the trees, and leap over it. Maybe with Tails and Cream we could-"

Knuckles jumped up from the ground, running over to the fence and starting to dig at its base. Dirt went flying into the air as he grunted, making a tunnel underneath.

"That's one way to do it," Rouge smiled as the group went over to him.

After the echidna finished they crawled through, coming out on the other side. As they headed quietly through the thinning jungle, Storm said, "Next is a barbed wire fence with GUN soldiers guarding it. They all have comlinks, so if one sees us he can alert security."

"Just great," Amy sighed. "And what did you do to get by this barrier?"

Storm shrugged. "Knock out the soldiers and cut through the fence."

Knuckles peered at her through narrowed eyes. "It's that easy, huh?"

She winked. "For me." As he started to fume in response, she added, "Just watch me, red."

They slowed as the tall fence came into view, staying close to the ground. Cream hovered behind Amy, Cheese in her arms. Three GUN soldiers were visible, guarding the area with guns in their hands.

"I can take care of them," Storm whispered, feeling the urge to fight burn in her veins. She also wanted to prove that she was trustworthy and would be useful. She didn't want them to regret bringing her along.

Amy looked at her. "Then show us what you got, prototype."

Storm grinned and dashed forward, a black and red blur over the ground. She stopped behind one soldier, sweeping out his legs and elbowing his head, knocking him out. She picked up his body and hurled him into the second, sending them into a heavy heap. The last soldier gasped, yanking out his comlink. In a second she was over to him, kicking the comlink out of his hands and snapping a roundhouse to his temple, rendering him unconscious. She turned to the group, grinning.

"Nice," Sonic said, giving her a thumbs up as they walked over.

Knuckles shrugged. "I could have done that."

Storm grabbed a knife from one of the soldier's belt, cutting through the barbed wire. They carefully went through, watching the sharp edges.

"Okay, hold up," Storm stated, turning to the group. "The next is a line of tanks. The base is just behind it. We're coming in from the side, so it will be a wall. I've always broken out, never in, so I'm not sure how we'll do this. Any ideas?"

There was a moment of silence as they considered, birds darting by overhead, the leaves rustling in the breeze.

"Tanks, you say?" Sonic asked.

The black hedgehog nodded. "Big ones."

"Ah."

"We could try to sneak by them," Amy suggested. "But of course, we'd need to find a way to get in. I'm guessing the entrance will be heavily guarded."

"I got an idea!" Sonic exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "When I get going fast enough, I can create kind of a sonic boom around me, destroying things. I could take out the tanks and blow a hole in the wall. That will catch attention, but anything we do probably will."

"That sounds good," Rouge nodded. "We can hurry once we're inside."

"Get Shadow and go," Tails said.

"Get Shadow and go," Amy repeated, nodding.

"Let's do it!" the echidna grinned, pounding his fists together. "We'll be right behind you, Sonic."

They hurried the last few yards, crouching behind bushes as the tanks and large, silver building came into view. The metal gleamed in the sunlight, the tanks large and imposing.

Sonic took a breath. "Okay, guys, grab my arms and hold in tight."

They did so, looking at him expectantly. He closed his eyes a moment, then opened them, beginning to run in place. He rapidly picked up his speed, his legs a blue blur under him. Dirt was flying up, the others turning their faces away, grunting with the effort.

"Alright," Sonic said, "let go!"

They did, falling back as he shot forward, the plants ripped from the ground around him and showering the group with dirt and roots. The blue hedgehog ripped past the tanks, causing them to become airborne, crashing thunderously into the jungle. A hole was blasted into the wall, concrete flying into the air and splintering as it hit the ground, rolling over a few times.

"Whoa," Storm breathed as she climbed to her feet.

Sonic looked out from the hold in the building, waving, "C'mon!"

They shot forward, hurrying into the cool inside of the base. Storm led as they went through twisting gray halls, their steps clanking on the floor. She was taking them the back way to avoid the major security. A few closed doors flashed by them, the lights uniform and long overhead. She could hear Cream panting and Rouge's heels making a distinctive click.

She skidded to a stop at a corner, the others following suit. She held a finger to her lips, then glanced around the corner. She turned back to them, whispering, "Down this hall is a few cameras and some soldiers. After that, we go upstairs and to the hall Shadow is being kept in."

Sonic nodded, straightening. "Storm, I'll take out the soldiers if you get the cameras."

She smiled. "Sounds like a plan. Ready?"

"Go!"

The both dashed into the hall, the others looking after them, Knuckles obviously angry at missing out on the action. Storm shot up the wall, rolling into the cameras and destroying them in a mess of sparks and wires. Sonic bounded into the soldiers, taking them out with single hits. He collided with the last one, spun in the air, and landed, Storm dropping down beside him. They slapped hands, grinning.

"That's going to cause attention, let's move it!" Rouge encouraged as they all headed to the stairs. They vaulted up them and made it to the next hall, Storm and Sonic taking care of the cameras and guards again, the hall now littered with unconscious bodies and machine parts.

Storm slowed down, her heart beating hard. She went up to a door. "This is it. This is where Shadow is."

Rouge studied the lock, shaking her head. "We need a password and card."

Suddenly Knuckles slammed into the door, breaking it in a splinter of wood. "There. We're in."

Sonic jumped over him, crashing into the two cameras in the room. As he landed smoothly, the others walked in, looking around. The room was a small, white square, filled with cabinets and computers. A sink was on one side, and a table with straps on it was nearby.

Storm pointed to the small section of the floor where the tile was gone, bars lining the dark entrance. "He's in there." She paused, biting her lip. "Maybe you guys should just get him out."

Sonic kneeled by the bars, looking in. "Shadow! We're here to rescue you, buddy!"

Shadow's voice drifted up. "Then please commence rescuing me. It's cold down here."

"I'll get the bars," Knuckles offered, coming up. He pressed his fists against them, groaning with effort. As the metal creaked, he pushed two of them far enough apart that they could slip in. He, Sonic, and Tails dropped into the cell.

Sonic looked around at the dark, cold space, the air stuffy and uncomfortable. He turned to the Ultimate Life Form as he stood up, chains clanking on the floor.

"You shouldn't be here," Shadow stated, red eyes studying them. "It's dangerous."

Sonic shrugged innocently. "Yeah, well, it was a unanimous decision to come rescue you. You're our friend."

Shadow felt a smile spread across his face, warmth filling his chest. They had come after him. They hadn't left him to GUN.

Tails studied the cold, heavy shackles around Shadow's wrists and ankles. "Wow, Shadow, how can you stand these, they're heavier than me! I think we need a key to undo them. But I don't know-"

Knuckles strode up, gripping one chain in his hand. He punched it with a shout, breaking it off close to Shadow's wrist. He did the same with the other three, grunting in satisfaction when he was finished.

"Nice work," Shadow commented.

"Let's get out of here," Sonic said, looking up at the opening. He and Shadow jumped off the walls to the top, Tails flying Knuckles up. They came into the bright room, a stark contrast to the cell.

Shadow blinked, his eyes adjusting to the light. He looked the group over, then stopped as he saw Storm. He gritted his teeth, starting forward.

"Wait!" Sonic grabbed his arm. "She's sorry for what she did. She helped us get here. We couldn't have done it without her."

Shadow yanked his arm away, giving Storm a cold glare. "Then let's go."

"We need to hurry to the X Tornado, it's in the woods," Tails informed the black hedgehog.

They had just left the room and started running down the hall when an alarm sounded.

"Uh-oh," Rouge said. "I guess they figured it out. We're going to get company, kids."

As soon as they reached the stairs they were met with GUN soldiers. Rouge flipped up, kicking into them. Knuckles charged forward, swinging his fists and taking them out. They quickly cleared the path, offering a smile at one another.

The group raced down hall after hall, panting. As GUN soldiers came at them they were disposed of, either by the echidna's fist, the bat's boots, Amy's hammer, a swift collision from Sonic or Storm, or knocked brutally out by one very angry black hedgehog.

""C'mon, keep moving!" Sonic encouraged as they skidded around a corner.

They saw the hole they'd come through cracked into the wall, sunlight pouring in from it. Two soldiers jumped in front of them, but Sonic and Shadow both leapt into the air, knocking them out with a kick and landing, running as they hit the ground.

They burst outside, warmth and the smell of trees hitting them. Tails held out a electronic device, clicking a few buttons and then announcing, "The X Tornado is ready for space."

"If we can get to it," Knuckles growled, gritting his teeth.

As they closed in on the denser part of the jungle, they head the squeal of machinery behind them, and the clicking of guns. Sonic glanced back and abruptly stopped. "Whoa!"

The others turned, jaws dropping and eyes wide. Hundreds of GUN soldiers faced them on foot or on jeeps, weapons at the ready. At least fifty tanks stood at attention, large guns targeted on the group.

"Don't move or we'll shoot," a voice shouted from the force.

The group backed slowly up, hovering close together.

Sonic held his arms out, "Cream, Tails, Amy, get behind me."

Rouge sighed in annoyance. "I thought it was too easy getting out of the building."

"This is no good!" Knuckles snarled, watching the enemies. "One move and they'll all fire!"

Shadow shot a look at Sonic. "Give me a Chaos Emerald."

Sonic did, the jewel shining with its internal energy. Shadow took a few steps forward, barking at the others, "Back up."

They did so, watching him. A voice from one of the tanks shouted, "I said don't move!"

Shadow faced the GUN army, anger burning hot inside him. His red eyes were fire as he took in the force facing him. GUN had tried to imprison him again. And he would _not _be taken in a third time.

Storm was going to step up to help Shadow anyway when she saw two things glint in the sunlight, falling from him to the dirt. As she focused on them she saw that he'd taken off the gold rings around his wrists.

Shadow groaned as the air around his swam with heat. Red energy surrounded him, throbbing and pulsing with raw power. He closed his eyes, summoning more power. He heard one of the GUN soldiers shouting at him, but he didn't listen. He pulled out more energy until it was so dense around him that the others couldn't see him through the blood red heat.

Opening his eyes, Shadow directed the power at the army, shouting, "_Chaos Blast!" _

The power was let loose, ripping through the air and scorching the ground with black streaks. It incinerated the soldiers, instantly killing them, and crunching the jeeps into piles of metal. It sent the tanks flying backward, spinning in the air. At last it reached the GUN base, slamming into it with such violent ferocity as to shake the entire structure, pieces of the foundation shooting into the jungle. There was another tremble before the entire building buckled with deafening crash.

The group stared, rooted to the spot, eyes wide.

Shadow stood a moment, arms outstretched in the following silence. Then he collapsed.

They ran over to him, Cream gasping, "Is he dead?"

Storm check for his pulse. "No, he's unconscious."

"Let's hurry in case more are coming," Sonic stated.

Just then jets swooped by overhead, roaring through the sky.

Knuckles picked up Shadow and followed the others as they ran into the jungle. Storm started after them, then darted back and grabbed Shadow's rings. She quickly caught up to the others as they bounded through the jungle, coming up on the X Tornado.

The hatch opened and they thundered inside, throwing themselves into the rows of white seats.

"Buckle up!" Tails shouted, starting the engine and causing the ship to tremor. They heard explosions outside.

There was commotion as the others fumbled with the seatbelts, clicking them into place. Knuckles secured Shadow into one, and Storm sat in the one beside the black hedgehog, saying, "I'll brace him."

"Taking off, "Tails announced, "in five, four, three, two, one!"

The X Tornado shot up, shaking violently. The engines rumbled in their ears. Cream had her eyes squeezed shut, gripping her seat. Amy was holding on to her arm rests, her feet braced against the floor. Storm was practically in Shadow's seat, arms wrapped around him, bracing his head.

"We're entering the atmosphere," Tails said.

There was another violent shudder before it abruptly stopped. Storm paused, breathing hard, then she sat up, looking around. The others were straightening, starting to smile.

"We did it!" Amy cheered.

"Go us!" Cream cried, hopping out of her seat.

Tails set a course for the ARK as the group shouted in joy, giving high-fives. He beamed, glancing back at them. They had made it. Shadow was rescued and now they were on their way to the ARK and Eggman.

Sonic went up to the unconscious hedgehog. "We can put him in the back, until he wakes up. There's a room with a bed."

Knuckles nodded, picking him up and heading out. Storm followed him as they went down a narrow hall and into a simple, small room, a window looking out into the stars. Knuckles laid him on a white bed, giving him a simple pat on the arm as he headed out.

Storm looked around the room, sighing. She fingered his gold rings, emotions tearing around inside her. She looked at his body, the shackles still on his wrists and ankles. A surge of guilt claimed her. She did that to him.

Taking a deep breath, she whispered, "I'm sorry."

Setting his rings at his side, she left the room, closing the door behind her.

* * *

**Please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Wow, I got a lot of reviews for last chapter! Thanks, everyone! **

**KaithePhaux: **Haha, I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing!

**WerehogWatcher: **Yeah, I believe those were the only two times he's taken off his rings. I agree, they should do it more! It's so cool! Thanks for the review!

**Shadow the Hedgehog 22: **Oh, don't worry, the Commander isn't through yet! Thanks for your review!

**Dark-Illusion-Detective: **Interesting! I haven't fully worked out the plot for the third part of this story yet, so I'll take that into consideration! Thanks for reviewing!

**Storm337: **I'm so glad you like this story so much! I'm going to be updating either every week or every other week, although sometime I might do a fast update. 8D Thanks for the review!

**Janiemanie1993: **I double-checked that Prison Island thing, and although they did blow it up in Sonic Adventure 2, it returned in Shadow the Hedgehog. It's a regenerating island! 8D Thanks for reviewing!

**And thanks to dragon queen 09, OXOXPoisoned-AngelXOXO, and PerlaNemisis for your wonderful reviews!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic**

**Rated T for violence**

**CH. 14**

Storm stared out the window, resting her arms on the cold sill. The stars gazed back at her, winking and shining in the infinite blackness of outer space. She let out her breath, the glass fogging up. The ship was alive with noises behind her, from Sonic's radio to Cream and Amy talking, and the steady creak of some gadget Tails was working on. Knuckles was keeping to himself, and Rouge was reading a magazine, her white boots propped up on the armrest. It would be a few hours before they would reach the ARK.

She sighed. The ARK. She hadn't been there in _years_. She didn't know how she'd react. Truth be told, she more concerned with how Shadow would react. He seemed very passionate about anything regarding the space colony. She supposed that if she had been there for the ARK's downfall, maybe she would be like that, too.

A commander had been the one to tell her what happened on the ARK. Not _the _Commander, but the one before him. The Commander had been a boy at the time the ARK was invaded, but he never spoke about it. She wondered if he harbored anger over the incident.

She had been heartbroken to learn what happened to her home. They had told her that Professor Gerald had not died on the ARK, but would never tell her what became of him. They never told her anything about the Ultimate Life Form, either.

Thinking of Shadow made her turn in the direction of the room he was still unconscious in. Deliberating momentarily, she decided to go check on him. Quickly going down the narrow hall, she opened the door to his small room to see his black form still resting on the bed. His gold rings lay at his side, sparkling in the bright light.

Storm went over by him, studying him. What he had done, back on Prison Island, had been phenomenal. He housed so much power, she was almost jealous. A Chaos Blast, he called it? She wondered if she could do it, too.

Shadow stirred, a moan coming from his mouth. His fingers twitched.

"Shadow?" she asked tentatively, taking a step back.

The hedgehog opened his red eyes, glancing about the room, then at her.

"You saved us," she said. "You took out the entire base and we left on Tails' ship. We're in space right now, on our way to the ARK. I . . . I saved your rings for you." She added the last part lamely, feeling guilt prodding at her again.

Shadow slowly sat up, grunting. He looked down at his gold rings and then snapped them back on his wrists. Kicking his legs over the side, he looked up at her and asked, "How long have I been out?"

"Almost an hour," she replied.

He locked eyes with her, his expression unreadable.

"Listen," Storm sighed, shoulders slumping. "I know you must be absolutely furious at me. I'm very, very sorry. Like I told you, they were holding me prisoner and the only way to get my freedom was to give them you. I'm sorry. I helped Sonic and the others break you out." She took a breath, glancing at the white wall. "If you don't want to ever see me again, I understand. But . . ." She met his eyes again, repeating, "I'm sorry."

Shadow raised one brow. "So you're not giving the excuse that you turned me in so you could get your freedom so that you could come rescue me?"

She laughed. "As great of an excuse as that is, no."

He nodded, paused, then hopped off with a light thud. "Alright, then. I forgive you."

She was stunned. "You . . . you forgive me? Just like that?"

He seemed amused, a smirk crossing his face. "Yes, because if our roles were reversed, I would have done the same thing." His smirk spreading wider, he turned and left the room.

Storm was rooted to the spot, shock and relief mixing inside of her. She shook her head, then smiled brightly. She decided that she kind of liked that guy.

* * *

"So," Shadow cocked his head to the side, nestled sideways in a white chair so that he could face Storm beside him. "What happened, again?"

She took a drink of the coffee in her hands, a blanket wrapped around her. She found space to be a bit cold. They were in the main seating area of the ship, rows and rows of seats around them. Windows allowed views of the stars, the engine of the X Tornado a steady background noise.

"Gerald brought me down to Earth," she told him, "to show to his colleagues. They thought I was too dangerous, took me away, and locked me up." She took a breath. "They told him to stop his project of creating the ultimate life." She offered a smile in his direction. "I guess he didn't stop, though."

Storm had been surprised when Shadow, not twenty minutes after waking up, had asked if he could talk to her. He said he wanted to know about her time on the ARK and on Prison Island. She had willingly accepted, hoping to regain his trust and friendship.

He nodded, seeming contemplative. "And you've been locked up ever since?"

"Yes."

"How did you . . .?" He trailed off, frowning. "How were you able to keep track of the world? I'll admit you seemed a little off-beat, but the technology, the slang people use . . ."

"Well, GUN always had the newest technology," Storm responded, the coffee warm in her hands. "And I got to listen to music and watch movies and stuff."

"Wait, you were a prisoner yet you got entertainment?"

She laughed at his half smile, nodding. "It's kind of like that. I went through, what I called, different 'periods' that I was in prison. There was the punishment periods or grace periods."

"And those are . . .?"

She gestured with her hand as she spoke, "When I was 'punished' it was years when I was stuck in a cell by myself. I had next to no contact with anyone or anything." She sighed, appearing to push away painful memories. "And when I had a 'grace' period it was when the Commander would move me into another cell for good behavior. Or because he wanted to get on my good side so he could question me more about the ARK and my abilities." She took another drink, Shadow watching her patiently as she explained. "The cell I was moved to was in a very large main base. Lots of other prisoners were kept there, all under 'good graces'. I was always under constant guard, but I could go places in the base. I could get my own food, and do things. I watched movies and had fun." She paused, reconsidering. "Well, as most fun as I could have being a prisoner. I got to socialize with other prisoners and become 'friends' with the Commander."

"I think I understand," he said. "So, you knew about me?"

"Yeah, I knew about you," she smiled. "Gerald told me I was your prototype. You were his dream for a better future."

Shadow's looked at the seat to the side. "The Professor always did have big dreams."

"But look at what you've done!"she protested, leaning forward. "You've saved the world! I think Gerald had the right idea."

He met her eyes again, changing the subject. "But you didn't know Maria?"

"No, I didn't." She frowned. "This is the second time you brought up Gerald's granddaughter. Were you two close?"

His eyes took on a far away look. "We were best friends."

"I'm sorry."

He shrugged, coming back to the present. "Doesn't matter now. Anyway, you weren't there, though, when I was being created?"

Storm shook her head, pulling the blanket closer around her. "No, I wasn't. It's too bad, really." She smiled. "At least I got to meet you now. You're everything Gerald hoped you would be."

Shadow's brow furrowed. "And everything would have played out according to the Professor's plans if GUN hadn't interfered."

She nodded. "GUN's full of self-important war mongrels. Trust me, I've lived with them long enough." When she got his usual half-smile in response, she said, "But, Shadow, why do you keep calling Gerald 'the Professor'?"

"I-" He paused. "It's his title. It's respectful. Why do you refer to him as 'Gerald'?"

"We were friends," she answered. "We were very close. Weren't you?"

"He was family, but . . . it wasn't really like that. Maria and I were close, but not the Professor and I. We had a more . . . professional relationship." At her quizzical looked he continued, "We loved each other as family, but almost everything we did together was for research."

"Funny," she said. "Gerald wasn't like that with me." She frowned, looking up at him. "Maybe he didn't want to be too attached to you, in case he lost you like he lost me."

Shadow nodded. "That makes sense." He took a deep breath. "Okay. Thank you for opening up to me like this."

She gave a short laugh, glancing down at the coffee. "It's fine. I've never done this before, so it was . . . liberating."

They both sat in silence for awhile. They could hear Tails in the cockpit, working with the ship's controls, and Amy saying something in another room. The ship smelled of leather from the seats, lit brightly and comfortably.

"That Chaos Blast was really cool," Storm said.

He grinned. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"How did you do it?"

"I used the energy from the Chaos Emeralds."

She brightened. "I want to learn!"

Shadow laughed. "Maybe I'll teach you."

They got quiet again, lost in thought. Storm sniffed her drink, its liquid warm inside her. Shadow glanced out the window, still seeing the endless void of space.

"What about you?"

Shadow's head jerked back to her, tilting his head at her question. "What about me?"

She shrugged. "How did you end up on Earth?"

"You know about the ARK invasion, right?"

"Yeah."

"Maria sent me out through an escape pod during it," Shadow said. "She was dying . . . she had been shot. So she sent me to Earth. I was apprehended by GUN and locked away on Prison Island, much like you."

Storm jumped, red eyes widening. "You were on _Prison Island?"_

He nodded, frowning. "Yes?"

She growled, fisting one hand. "I can't believe it! You were on Prison Island _with _me, and never once was I told!"

He chuckled. "Isn't that life?"

Still fuming, she continued, "Do you know why GUN wanted you?"

"Same reason they always do, I assume," he growled. "They're jealous of my power. They think I'm too dangerous."

She nodded. "That's what the Commander said."

He raised one brow. "The Commander? With two-colored eyes?" He pointed to his own eyes for emphasis.  
"Yeah. How -?"

"We've met," Shadow stated bluntly. "He was on the ARK as a child. For awhile, recently, he came after me accusing me of being responsible for Maria's death." He looked visibly sickened by that. "He said it was my fault because I was a monster made for evil."

Storm rolled her eyes. "Wow. Quite the imagination."

He studied her silently, seeming to huddle closer on himself. He said softly, "It's true, Storm."

"What?" she laughed. "Shadow, you're no monster, and Gerald made you, made _us, _for good."

"You don't know, do you?"

She frowned. "Know what?"

He sighed, sitting up straighter. "Do you remember the alien lord I told you about? Black Doom?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "The one that tried to take over the planet and you kicked him off."

He leaned forward, placing a hand on her knee. She stared at him, feeling uneasiness creep into her gut.

"This may come as a shock," he said gently. "But Storm . . . you and I were made, in part, by Black Doom."

Her jaw dropped. "_What?"_

He kept a steady lock on her eyes so that she'd know he was serious. "Yes, he helped the Professor create us. And to get his help, the Professor had to agree to make me, us, able to carry out what Doom wanted." He paused, taking a breath. "Which was to take over the world. When he came here, he said that I was suppose to get him the six Chaos Emeralds. That's why I'm, we're, so strong and fast and agile. I was made to be Black Doom's servant." He leaned closer. "We were designed to kill."

Storm was thunderstruck. She stared at him as he removed his hand and sat back, watching her expectantly. Suddenly her mind went from its frozen state into a whirl of thoughts.

"We . . ." she stammered, "we were made to help an alien take over the planet?"

He nodded. "In part, yes."

"But . . . he's gone now?"

"Yes. He's not coming back."

She instantly brightened. "Well, since that problem is over with I can say: How cool! We're killing machines! We're deadly alien-helping assassins!" She grinned, her ego obviously swelling. "We're so badass."

He laughed aloud, throwing his head back. She watched him, warmth filling her chest. That was as close to a genuine, heartfelt laugh as she'd ever heard from him. His face had completely lit up. It just fell short of being authentic.

He looked back at her, eyes shining. "Badass, huh?"

She shook her head. "Why don't you laugh like that more often?"

He cocked his head to one side. "What do you mean?"

"That was the truest laugh I've heard from you. And you don't give full smiles either."

"I do too."

"No, it's either a smirk or that little," she gestured, searching for the words, "half-smile-thing you do. What's wrong?" She grinned. "Do you think you're too cool to smile, like Knuckles does? Or," the amusement left her face, "are not completely happy?"

He opened his mouth to respond when Tails' voice rang over the speaker system, "Everyone get into your seats and buckle up, we've arrived at Space Colony ARK!"

* * *

**Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Alright, a fast update here due to a request! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Oh, and a few of you pointed out that I said six chaos emeralds instead of seven. Yeah, oops. 8D In another fanfic I'm writing I've been referring to the six sages quite often, so it bled over. **

**WerehogWatcher: **Yeah, I'm trying to update more frequently! Thanks for reviewing!

**Janiemanie1993: **You haven't played any of the games? So you just watched the cartoon, right? Well, yeah, I thought about the Doom's blood thing, but since they're not born and were created, they're not technically related. ;) Thanks for your review!

**And thanks to KaitthePhaux, Shadow the Hedgehog 22, someone, and PerlaNemisis for your reviews!**

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**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Sonic! **

**Rated T for violence**

**CH. 15**

A shadow fell over the X Tornado as it docked into the ARK, the space colony dwarfing it. The hanger was wide and square, a hallway branching off at the far end, dusty and disused computers lining one wall. The ship landed lightly, its engines roaring once more before shutting off, the quiet of the ARK enveloping it.

The ramp descended to the ground and the group headed down it, their footsteps clanging on the metal. Sonic glanced at their surroundings as he said, "Okay, guys, it's simple: find Eggman and stop him."

They stepped into the hanger, the ramp pulling up behind them. The air was cooler, the lights bright and motion-activated.

"So, any ideas where Dr. Eggman might be?" Rouge asked.

There was an echoing click and then the said doctor's voice sounded over the intercom system, "Hello there, Sonic, and the rest of that ragtag group."

Storm snorted, putting her hand on her hip. "That was easy."

Shadow shook his head. "He wants to be found. The doctor likes playing games."

"How are you all today?" Eggman asked.

Amy crossed her arms. "We'll be even better after we kick your butt!"

"Yeah," Sonic agreed, his voice echoing in the large room, "stop hiding and let's get this over with, Eggman."

"Who's hiding?" the doctor asked with amusement. "I look forward to our encounter. I have a few surprises up my sleeve that I can't wait to share with you!"

"Oh, really?" Knuckles spat. "Then where are you?"

"I'm in a room in the interior of the ARK that's full of escape pods to shoot down to Earth. Shadow, could this be the room Maria died in?"

The black hedgehog recoiled, eyes widening.

Storm glanced at his pained expression and shouted, "You have a lot of nerve, Eggman, to do something like that. I think I should teach you some manners."

There was a pause, then, "Who on Earth is that?"

"That's Storm," Sonic answered. "She's here to help us."

Eggman chuckled. "Good luck with that! Come and get me!" There was a click as he shut the speaker off.

Amy rolled her green eyes. "He's so weird. Let's just get this over with."

Rouge looked back to Shadow, who was rooted to the spot, his eyes distant. "Shadow, sugar, are you all right?"

He jerked at his name, turning to her. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She tilted her white head to the side. "If you don't think you can do this you can stay here. It's okay."

"No," he shook his head, standing up straight again. "No. I'm fine, really. Thank you."

"Good," Sonic nodded. "Do you remember the way to the room?"

"Remember?" Shadow asked, a pain stabbing into his chest. "Yes, I remember it." He took a breath. "Follow me."

Shadow took off running into the corridor, the others following close behind. He curved through endless gray halls, windows and door flashing past. The others became completely lost, and trusted Shadow to know where he was going.

Storm, however, was the exception. She stared at the ARK as they went through it, eyes wide. Each turn of the hall, each light along ceiling, and each still door brought back memories. She soaked it all in, her mind spinning.

Shadow gritted his teeth, wanting to go faster but knowing he couldn't lose the others. Dr. Eggman had a great deal of nerve going to the room Maria took her last breath in. He would make sure that that was one mistake the doctor would never make again. His heart was thundering in his chest, full of adrenaline and emotion. Never once had he been back to that room. He never wanted to return.

"Are we almost there?" Amy asked, panting.

"Yes," Shadow replied, eyes fixed ahead.

After one more long stretch of corridor, they came to a door that opened automatically at their presence. They went in, looking around. The room was circular, one window allowing a view of the stars and a portion of Earth. Machinery set to one side, lights bright on it. There were circles marked on the floor underneath glass capsules contained in the ceiling, ready to be released down to the planet.

"Good to see you."

The group jerked, looking to the source of the voice. Eggman stood up from a chair, a grin stretching across his face. The light from the window shone in his dark glasses and outlined his large body.

"Eggman," Sonic growled, shifting into an offensive position.

"It took you long enough to get here," Eggman retorted. "Perhaps you've forgotten the way, Shadow?"

The black hedgehog snarled, anger burning in his veins.

The doctor turned to Storm, studying her. "So, you must be this . . . Storm. You look like Shadow."

"Whoa," Storm said, jaw dropping. "What a stunning observation. I guess you _are_ as smart as everyone says."

Eggman scowled at her, then clasped his hands behind his back. "I'll have to inform all of you that you're too late. You can't stop me now."

"I've heard that one before," Sonic said.

Knuckles pounded his white-gloved fists together. "And I remember how it ends up!"

A dark expression fell over Eggman's face. "Not this time. This time, I'm several steps ahead of any of you."

"What are you planning?" Cream demanded.

Eggman started to pace, his boots clicking against the metal floor, sounding alarmingly loud in the silent room. He turned to them like a teacher to his students. "I have devised a destructive weapon I call the EGG. It's sort of like a giant laser cannon, able to obliterate a city with one shot. I've been working on it for years." He smirked at their startled expressions. He turned his eyes to the Ultimate Life Form. "And since you were kind enough to render the Eclipse Cannon useless, I replaced it with the EGG and reconfigured the computer to fire it."

Shadow growled, "You're not going to get a chance to use it!" He shot forward, eyes locked on the grinning doctor.

Something shot in front his vision and collided into him. The wind knocked from his lungs, he went flying back, slamming into the wall and knocking pieces from it. He fell to the ground, hitting his head. He heard Rouge and Storm shouting his name, but whatever had hit him came again, grabbing him and hurling him into a computer. Glass shattered, slicing his skin, and he rolled down it to the hard floor.

"Please, stop!" Cream cried.

Shadow let a small groan slip through his lips and Eggman said, "Stop, R1."

A jolt racked through the Ultimate Life Form's body, his eyes snapping open. Memories flashed through his mind in relation to that name, or that shortened name, rather. R1 was actually STR1, or Shadow Test Robot One. He pushed himself to his feet, looking at his attacker.

The robot was about his height, with a silver humanoid body and large, glowing eyes that regarded him silently. Seeing it hit home. That robot. Professor Gerald had made it to test Shadow's skills and it had gone horribly wrong. The robot had tried to kill him and had almost hurt Maria. The Professor was supposed to have destroyed it, but he didn't. No one knew how it had happened, but the robot had reactivated and came after him again. Shadow had killed it, he _knew _he had. But the sight before his eyes was a complete contradiction.

"Do you remember your old friend, Shadow?" Eggman taunted. "I read my grandfather's journals. Apparently this thing was extremely dangerous. But you know Gerald," a sneer spread across his face, "he always loved dangerous toys."

"How did you bring it back?" Shadow demanded.

Sonic and the others watched silently, stunned expressions on their faces, the light from the window shining in their eyes.

Dr. Eggman shrugged innocently. "I didn't bring it back. I hacked into my grandfather's files and found out how to build it. And all from the convenience of my own hidden base." He smiled. "It's a handy little robot, don't you think? It was able to steal the Master Emerald easily enough."

Knuckles gasped. "_That _thing stole _my _Master Emerald?!" With a roar he charged it.

R1 side-stepped his attack and caught his fist, twisting his arm behind his back. The echidna cried out at the pain. R1 then snapped a kick at his back, throwing him back to the group.

Knuckles stumbled and turned around, holding his arm. "What do you want with the Master Emerald?"

Dr. Eggman spread his arms. "Well, I need something to power the EGG, don't I? That emerald works quite well."

Storm looked at her friends, at Eggman, at Shadow, and then at R1. She smiled, shrugging. "So you have a cannon-thingy hooked up to the ARK and you rebuilt to super robot. So what? You're way out-numbered. There's no way you can stop all of us."

Dr. Eggman chuckled. "That's what it seems like, isn't it? Well, here I was with STR1, on my way to the ARK with the emerald. I thought my plan was flawless until I realized what you just pointed out. As strong as R1 is, its only one robot. It could stop only two or three of you at most. So, taking advantage of the ARK's brilliant technology, I decided to make more."

Tails frowned. "But, you haven't been up here for very long. How many could you have made?"

"Well, if I had been on Earth by myself, I would have had to do them all by hand," the doctor responded. "But here, there's no need for that. I have the space and the machines all at my disposal that I need. So I made a machine to make more R1's for me. And it's been working perfectly." He turned the only door in and out of the room, and the group followed his gaze.

A line of about twenty STR1's walked into the room, their feet making metallic clangs. They were all a dark red in color, distinguishing them from the original Eggman had built.

Eggman was beaming proudly. "And this isn't even all that's done! I have more in storage, and the machine is bringing out more and more as we speak." He spread his arms in triumph. "It's mass production!" He patted the silver R1 on the head affectionately. "I kept this one special, as he is the original design by my grandfather. I also gave him a bit of a personality, just so he could taunt if he wanted." He frowned. "Though he does like to be rather silent. The others," he turned to the robots that had walked in, "I call Eggman's Copy Robots Version One, ECRV1, or just E1 for short."

Storm snorted as they all dropped into attack positions. "What's with you scientists and acronyms?"

The group went forward as one, knocking into the E1 robots. Sonic spun and bounded into them, trying to knock them down. He nimbly dodged attacks, his energy going strong. Amy swung her hammer wide, shouting. Knuckles and Rouge worked side-by-side, his fists flying and her legs swinging around for hard kicks. Tails and Cream stayed by one another, working to fight the ones on the outside. Storm slammed into the robots, a smile on her face.

Shadow turned to R1, which looked at him expectantly. Eggman was watching them, not seeming worried at all. The blue and white light from the window cast dark shadows across the floor.

"Shadow," R1 said, its voice hollow. "I shall defeat you."

"Try your best," Shadow responded, then ran forward. He punched at the robots face. It ducked and sent an elbow at his side. He spun out of the way, bringing his leg up for a kick. It impacted R1' side, but the robot rode the momentum and swung around, striking Shadow across the face.

The black hedgehog stumbled back, darting out of the way of another kick. R1 started relentlessly attacking, sending kicks and punches in a flurry. Shadow dodged and blocked each one, grunting at the impact of the robot's hands and feet against his arms. He backed up to one of the computers and flipped over it, landing on the other side.

R1 agilely hopped over and came down at him. Shadow backed-flipped, kicking the robot on his way over. R1 landed on its feet and shot forward, shoving Shadow back into the wall and holding him there.

Shadow groaned, gripping the robot's arms. He looked up at its bright yellow eyes.

"Shadow," STR1 said, "does this room bring back memories for you?"

Rouge's head snapped back, hitting the wall. Her breath was forced out of her and she slumped down, unconscious. Knuckles glanced anxiously over at her, then turned to another dark red robot. He swung his fists, a battle cry ringing from him. The E1 caught his attack and yanked him forward, delivering an elbow to his stomach. He dropped to the ground, clutching his ribs.

Eggman started laughing.

Storm grabbed one machine's arm and swung it into the wall. She ducked a kick and dodged a punch, starting to pant. The E1 robots were hard. They were very hard. _Leave it to Gerald to come up with something so difficult to stop. _She glanced around, seeing that they had only defeated one E1, and it lay with a detached head, sparks shooting from it.

Shadow pushed against R1's arms, their strength evenly matched.

"You didn't answer my question, Shadow," R1 said hollowly, its face displaying no emotion. "Does this room bring back memories?"

"No!" Shadow snarled, the sounds of his friends' battling a background noise.

"Really? You don't think about the GUN invasion-"

"No!"

"-running for your lives-"

"No!"

"-or Maria's dying moments?"

"_No, no!" _He screamed, his emotions storming inside him, images flashing uncontrolled behind his eyes.

Sonic spun around and kicked a robot back, breathing hard. His body ached from the beating it was taking. The E1's were so fast. He looked at his friends. Rouge and Tails were both unconscious, Cream kneeling in fright beside them. Storm was darting about, attacking. Knuckles seemed like he was in pain, but he still was standing, punching at the enemies. Amy's hammer was getting torn apart, and sweat drenched her.

Sonic couldn't wrap his mind around it. They were losing. They had only stopped _one, _how in the world would they stop the other nineteen? He felt hopelessness claw at his being. If they couldn't stop the robots, they couldn't get to the EGG. Which would mean that Eggman would be free to do what he wanted.

Sonic did a spin attack into two E1's, knocking them down but not out. They picked themselves back up, racing at him. Sonic dodged their attacks from both sides, dropping to sweep their legs out. A third came from above, kicking his head. Sparks flashed in front of him and he rolled over on the ground, coming to his feet. He saw Knuckles go down in his peripheral vision.

Eggman's laugh increased in volume, his head tilted back.

"So," R1 said, "you don't remember any of that?"

"Leave me alone," Shadow growled.

"That's too bad. Because you're about to experience it again."

Shadow's red eyes widened as STR1 yanked him out of the wall, hurling him into the computers. Shadow caught himself before his face hit, but R1 was on him in an instant, slamming his head down. Glass shards cut him, blood running down his chin. He was pulled back up and a metal knee connected with his ribs. The robot tossed him on the ground.

Shadow gritted his teeth, rolling over to his hands and knees. As R1 came at him again, he kicked out, knocking the robot back. He jumped to his feet only to be punched across the face, his vision blacking for a moment. R1 grabbed him by his neck, cutting off his air source and tossed him a few feet away.

Shadow's head bounced against the metal floor and his eyes rolled back. He lay there a moment, pain burning through his body. When he didn't feel another attack come he got to his knees, looking for R1.

Suddenly an escape pod dropped down around him, locking into the circle he was in the middle of. Shadow placed his hands on the glass, eyes wide. He saw R1 at the machine controls, looking back at him.

Eggman roared with laughter. "Seem familiar, Shadow?"

Shadow's heart pounded in his ears, nearly blocking out everything else. He felt like he couldn't breathe. He turned to where his friends were being beaten by the robots, a few of them lying on the floor. His mind locked. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening.

Storm shoved an E1 back before turning to see what Eggman had been referring to. She saw Shadow trapped in an escape pod, pure, undiluted fear in his eyes. He looked at her.

"Shadow!" she screamed, starting to run over to him.

But then R1 clicked a button on the machine and the escape pod dropped from the ARK, disappearing from sight with Shadow in it. Storm dropped to the ground, the sounds of her friends getting taken apart by the robots and Eggman's thunderous laughter in her ears.

"Shadow!" she screamed again, her throat raw, as if that could bring him back to the ARK.

"Haha, I win!" Dr. Eggman cried. "I win!"

His cries of victory seemed to drown out all other noise as hot tears ran from Storm's eyes. She would have thought of something to snap back at the doctor, but, honestly, she thought he was right.

**End of Part II**

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**Please review!**


	16. Chapter 16 Part III

**Alright, here's the first chapter of Part III, the final part of this fanfic! Enjoy!**

**Farming Chick: **Haha, yes, we're always meanest to the characters we love most! Thanks for reviewing!

**KaiThePhaux: **Aw, thanks so much! –hugs- That means a lot to hear! And thanks for the review!

**Storm337: **Thanks for the suggestion! I'm still outlining part three right now, so I'll take it into account! And sure I'll check out your stories! Thanks for your review!

**And thanks to PerlaNemisis, Xandora, piplupm, LOL SMILEYFACE, and Robyn K. Prower for your reviews!**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic **

**Rated T for violence**

"_I've been living with a shadow overhead  
I've been sleeping with a cloud above my bed  
I've been lonely for so long  
Trapped in the past I just can't seem to move on." –Music and Lyrics_

**CH. 16**

**Part III**

The city was deserted.

At least, that's how it appeared. Darkness from the night and a thick cover of clouds made every shadow darker and every gust of wind colder. The city looked as if it had been vomited out. Streets were cracked, some even up heaved from the ground. Sidewalks were in fragments like glass shards, occasionally spilling out over the road. Street signs were bent and many stop lights had been knocked down. Some buildings stood erect and silent, while others were in piles of rubble. Still some were in partial order, corners missing. One had the entire half of it knocked away, leaving its insides open to the elements. The windows stared out like empty eye sockets, doors hanging open to reveal blackness. There was not a single noise to be heard, and the air reeked of concrete and rot.

Storm stood on the empty street, eyes roaming over the scenery. She wore all black to help blend in to her surroundings. People may not have lived there anymore, but that didn't mean it was abandoned. She pulled out the device Tails had constructed from her belt, checking the glowing green grid displayed. She looked between it and the city around her, checking her location. Satisfied, she put it up and began walking.

It had been two years since the incident on the ARK when Dr. Eggman had revealed his plan and Shadow had been shot down to the planet. The memories of that day were still strong in Storm's mind, but she pushed them aside. She had to focus on her mission.

She knew if she had simply waited, the others would have come with her. But as soon as they'd found out the location of the long-empty GUN base, she couldn't wait. She had stolen the items Tails had created and left on her own.

Her footsteps thudded loudly in the silence of the night. Her senses were alert and she was on-edge, keeping a watch out. This GUN base may have been abandoned, but that didn't mean it wasn't guarded. In fact, she _knew _it was quite heavily guarded due to what was housed inside. Perhaps it would have been smarter to wait and go with the group, but smart wasn't exactly her forte. She could handle herself, anyway.

Storm checked the digital map again and stopped in front of what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. She stepped into the shadow it cast and pushed the broken door further open. It creaked on its hinges, dust puffing out and scratching the inside of her nose. She went in, eyes rapidly adjusting to the dark. It was one advantage of being an Ultimate Life Form prototype.

The warehouse was emptied out, shelves overturned and paint peeling on the walls, leaving haunting streaks down it. She went to the back to an open threshold, the door gone. She was familiar enough with the layout of GUN's "secret" bases. After all, she'd been searching through them for two years now.

She headed into a storage closet, stepping over junk littered on the hard floor. She came to the back and opened another door, revealing a staircase dropping into thicker blackness. She took in a sharp breath, the smell of dust and decay on her tongue. She slowly made her way down, trying to stay as silent as possible.

After a few minutes of walking she came to the bottom. It was so dark she couldn't see her hand in front of her face, so she got a flashlight from her belt, clicking it on. She swept the light over the hallway she was now in, cracks trailing over the cement. She headed down it, sweeping her light to and fro to make sure she didn't miss anything.

She passed a few doorways and checked in each one. If the door wasn't gone or broken, she'd break it herself. She found conference rooms, labs, and facilities that appeared to be made to test weapons. She turned down another hall and pulled up short, stifling a gasp.

The hall was lined with robots. Three times her height, they were silver and black, stumps serving as heads. They were elite guard-robots for GUN, only made to protect things in their bases. She knew she was getting closer.

The flashlight danced over the robots, but all were silent and still. She tentatively made her way by them, eyes darting to each side, expecting one to pounce her. But it didn't happen. They stood like statues as she passed.

Storm came to a door at the end of the hall. It was thick and metal, bolted shut. Luckily, Tails had foreseen this problem. She pulled what appeared to be a gun from her belt, sleek and silver. She set the tip against the electronic bolt and pulled the trigger, which was a button. She felt a slight recoil in the gun and tiny yellow dots came from it, sliding across the bolt before disappearing. The door swung open. Storm glanced nervously behind her, but no robots had moved.

The gun that Tails had made was designed to emit an electronic pulse that temporarily rendered simple machines, such as locks, useless. It would certainly be handy for her in this mission. She knew the amiable fox would forgive her for taking it without permission; that was his personality.

Storm stepped into the room, shutting the door behind her. She was faced with a large, square area, the ceiling stretching up above her. She swept her flashlight over the metal floor and computer screens that were in disuse. She at last came to a single capsule in the center, from its base protruding tons of wires that were connected to a separate machine that appeared to still be running, probably controlled from a signal in another base. A soft light emitted from the capsule, just lighting its area.

Storm's heart caught in her throat for a moment, then started to pound loudly. She crossed the area to the capsule and stood on her toes, peering inside with wide red eyes.

Shadow's form lay there, still and quiet. His eyes were closed, but his chest was rising and falling with relaxed breath, as if he was asleep. Metal bands locked his wrists and ankles to the floor under him.

Storm let out a sob, slumping against the capsule. She had found him. After _years _of searching, she finally found him. When he had been ejected from the ARK, GUN had greedily captured him. With Eggman making war on the world, they had moved him to a remote base and assumed no one would find him. He was in suspended animation, and had been since his capture.

Storm stood upright, her mouth set in a firm line. He was alive, and he'd be free. She pulled out a gun and fired at the bolts locking the glass lid of the capsule down. They shattered, metal shards clinking as they fell to the floor. She opened the lid up and pulled out Tails' pulse gun. Firing it at each band shackling him down, they snapped open, freeing his body.

She wrapped her arms around him and picked him up, pulling him from the capsule. She sunk to the floor, squeezing him tightly against her. Her shoulders sagged and a sense of relief flooded through her body. Ever since they had lost Shadow, they had been searching for him. The Commander informed them that the Ultimate Life Form was in GUN's custody, but he'd never say where. Each time they uncovered the location of a new base, they searched it, hoping to find Shadow. At last, while hacking into one of the computers at an abandoned GUN base, Rouge had come across files that gave Shadow's location. But they had been about to head out on a very important mission, and opted to get Shadow afterward. Storm, though, couldn't wait.

She gently laid him down on the floor and from a pouch pulled out a syringe filled with clear liquid. Tails had made it to awaken Shadow from suspended animation without the aid of GUN's machines. The fox had said Shadow would at first be disoriented, and immobile, slowly his control over his body would return to him. Storm stuck the needle into his arm, injecting the liquid. She pulled it out and tossed it aside, watching the hedgehog expectantly.

It was a few seconds before a soft moan escaped Shadow's mouth. His eyelids twitched and then fluttered open, glassy and dazed. He moaned again.

"Shadow, it's okay," she assured, leaning over him. "It's me, Storm."

She waited patiently as he closed and opened his eyes, working his mouth to try to emit a sound. At last he said, "Storm?"

"Yeah, it's me!" Her hands were trembling with joy. He was going to be okay.

He looked at her, his eyes slowly regaining focus. "Where?"

"You're in an abandoned GUN base," she responded. "We've been looking for you for awhile now. The others are in the middle of an important mission, so I came by myself."

"How-" He swallowed. "How long?"

She bit her lip before relying. "You've been in stasis for two years."

He whimpered, closing his eyes.

"We have to leave," she said. "I don't know how long until GUN realizes someone broke you out of the capsule."

"I can't move," he stated, looking back at her again.

"You'll be able to soon. Now-"

There was a crash as the door was thrown open, slamming into the wall. The robots that had lined the hall began stepping through, their arms now morphed into the shape of guns, all aimed at the two.

One robot in the front said, "Step away from the Ultimate Life Form."

Storm stayed kneeling, frozen. She quickly took in the amount of robots facing her. Not good odds, especially while Shadow was practically paralyzed. She saluted, saying, "Thanks for the offer, but I think I'm going to keep him."

More came through the door as the one repeated, "Step away from the Ultimate Life Form or we will shoot."

Storm looked down at Shadow who stared back and responded, "What do you want _me _to do?"

She scooped him up, making sure she braced his head, and took off running to the other side of the room. There was a barrage of laser fire as she weaved a path to the opposite doorway. Flipping into it, she kicked it down, heading through a narrow, twisting hallway. She concentrated to not hit Shadow's legs or arms against the walls.

As she ran, taking tight corners to avoid the robots' fire, she realized that this was one thing she hadn't planned out. How was she supposed to avoid the robots and/or fight them while carrying around Shadow? He was bigger than her, if just slightly, and was a dead weight in her arms. She glanced back to see flashes of the machines following. She dug her heels in and picked up her pace, choosing halls at random.

She suddenly came into a wide open space, a relief from the cramped halls. Thick columns supported the ceiling, cracks going through it like spider webs. The area contained a few vehicles in it, all army-colored.

She cocked her head to the side, studying them.

"There's no way those will still run," Shadow said.

She shrugged. "Only one way to find out!"

Storm sprinted over to one car, its top open wide. She jumped in, setting Shadow in the seat beside her. She was glad to see that he could at least hold his head up as he watched her skeptically. Storm took out a knife, her flashlight hanging from her belt. She stuck it in the ignition and was satisfied to hear the engine roar to life. For how long that would last, she had no idea.

Reaching over, she buckled his seatbelt around him, saying , "Safety first!"

There was a clamor of metal as the guard robots poured into the garage, shouting, "Stop!"

Storm slammed her foot onto the pedal and the car took off with a lurch, throwing them back against the seats. She weaved in and out of the support beams as red laser bullets slammed into the concrete.

Shadow looked over at her. "Have you ever driven before?"

"A few times," she replied, smiling.

"I thought you were a life- long prisoner?"

"That was before you were sent into stasis. A lot has changed."

"Tell me."

She nodded. "Once we're safe, I'll fill you in."

She took a ramp up and out of the garage, the city opening up before them. The clouds were pressing lower, threatening rain. Shadow took it in with wide eyes. Storm drove the car down the street, glancing back.

She grinned. "I think we lost them!"

There was an explosion on the side of the warehouse, concrete flying out and colliding into the street in front of them. She slammed on the brakes, throwing them both forward. She stuck out her arm to help keep Shadow back as he swore loudly.

The machines came out into the street, turning to them and raising their guns. "Stop, or you will be destroyed."

"Hang on," Storm said, shifting into reverse and hitting the gas again. They shot backward, the engine roaring loudly and tires making black streaks along the road. The car bounced up and down from the uneven pavement, the robots coming after them.

Storm looked to the side and saw a parking garage, a few of the corners gone but otherwise in good condition. She shifted gears again and made a sharp turn into it, throwing Shadow against the door. The parking garage cast them into shadow, the headlights cutting through in straight beams.

"Storm, what are you doing?" Shadow questioned.

"Trying to lose the robots."

He glanced into the rearview mirror, his eyes startlingly bright in the dark. He saw the robots' forms coming after them. "Try harder."

She sped up, weaving around piles of junk as she heard the machines simply crash through them. She went up a ramp onto the next floor and gasped to see half of it blocked off by a few crumpled support beams. She braked, turning the steering wheel sharply to spin the car around, facing the way they'd just come through. Shadow, getting movement back into his arms, braced his elbows to steady himself.

Storm looked around frantically, trying to spot another way up or out, but the ramps were blocked off, save for the one she could hear the robots coming through. Her eyes drifted along the side to spot an opening where the concrete railing had been crushed. She tightened her grip on the wheel. "Hang on tight, Shadow."

"That's a bit difficult for me right now."

As the machines came up to their level, raising their guns, Storm went forward, turning the car out of the parking garage. Shadow swore as they went through the air, their stomachs tightening. Then with a bone-jarring impact they hit the street. Storm hit the steering wheel and Shadow hit the dashboard.

Storm kept her foot on the break, breathing hard, her head throbbing from where she'd struck it. She turned to her companion. "Are you okay?"

He moaned, glaring at her. "What kind of rescue it this?" He glanced up to see the robots jumping down to them. "Go!"

She stepped hard on the break, throwing them both back into their seats. She was thankful this was an army car and made to stand the erratic driving and her desperate exit from the parking garage. The city flashed by them, derelict buildings and crushed signs flying past. Storm looked into the rearview mirror to see the robots giving chase, firing lasers. The red bolts shot over their heads, a few clinking into their surroundings or against the car. They wouldn't last long.

She fished out her gun and turned back, aiming it at the robots.

"Are you crazy?!" Shadow shouted. "Look at the road!"

"Shut up, I'm concentrating!"

She fired the gun, trying to hit at the robots. Some went off-target from the bouncing of the car, but she was satisfied as she saw machines recoil from the impact, one going down.

"_Watch the road_!"

She turned around to see a building straight ahead, the road forking off into two ways. She yanked the wheel to one side, sending them sliding to the left road. She spun the wheel, struggling to right it as they kept sliding toward the shattered sidewalk. They hit a bump over the road which helped right them, bouncing them both.

Storm saw their road had a dead end, a pile of stones from a destroyed building blocking the path. She turned the car around, stopping it. "Shadow, any ideas?"

He glared at her. "First: don't kill your passenger. Second: give me that parking meter."

She looked out her side to see a bent parking meter. She reached out, ripping it from the ground with a grunt. She looked at him skeptically, raising one brow. "You can't move, what are you going to do?"

He took it from here, responding, "I can move well enough. The robots will be coming, plow right through them."

She stared at him, then grinned. "Sounds like a plan! Let's rock and roll!"

She pounded on the gas, sending the car forward. Taking the corner quickly, they came upon the group of robots as they raced along the street. Storm brought out her gun, shooting rapidly at their heads, making sparks fly out. Shadow heaved the parking meter back and flung it forward with a shout. It spun through the air, knocking two heads off and impaling another.

Storm realized they were getting too close to the robots, and they didn't have enough taken out. She grabbed her flashlight and jammed it into the barrel of the gun, bending the metal. Rising up from her seat, she hurled the gun at the machines as she pressed the gas pedal to the floor.

The gun clanged against a few robots before it exploded, sending metal spinning and flames shooting through the air, tearing apart the robots and knocking them off their feet. As one went flying, the car slammed into it and fell onto its side, sliding across the pavement. Storm squeezed her eyes shut as she heard metal tearing, one hand out to keep Shadow in his seat. The car hit something else and was righted, speeding down the road.

Shadow looked behind them to see the fiery ruins of their enemies, smoke billowing up to merge into the clouds. He smirked, settling back in his seat. "We got them."

She let out her breath, pumping her fist into the air. "Yeah!"

The edge of city was approaching, the country dark beyond it. Shadow glanced at their ruined surroundings, the scent of ash mixing with the smell of concrete. "Storm . . . why is this city destroyed?"

She stared ahead, her eyes losing their joy. "It's not a happy story, Shadow."

"Tell me."

She took a breath, "When-"

"Wait."

She turned to him, frowning, a cold breeze hitting her face.

He offered his usual half-smile, eyes shining. "Thanks for coming after me."

She winked. "That's what prototypes do."

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**Please review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**This chapter's shorter than usual, so sorry about that. But the next section will take long, so I wanted to split it now. **

**Thank you KaiThePhaux, piplupm, LOL SMILEYFACE, Farming Chick, Shadow the Hedgehog 22, and Storm337 for your reviews!**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic**

**Rated T for violence**

**CH. 17**

The wind beat against the two black hedgehogs as Storm drove the army car along the country road. Flat land stretched out around them. The rain clouds made the night even darker, and the headlights cut a bright path before them.

Shadow stared out the side, his face neutral. He had recently gained back full control of his body, and it felt wonderful. He was still stunned that he'd been in stasis for two years. His memories of his capture were fuzzy, but it was something he really didn't want to remember.

"So," he looked over at Storm, who was trying to get the radio to work. "What exactly happened?"

Giving up, she sat back, glancing at him. "When?"

"The day I was ejected from the ARK."

She let out her breath heavily, eyes fixed on the road. "It's a sad story."

"I can handle it."

Storm tightened her grip on the steering wheel and said, "You remember that you were fighting R1, and that Eggman had made lots of copies of that robot."

He nodded. "Yes, the E1's."

"Now we call them 'mechs'. It was GUN slang and it kind of bled over."

Shadow studied her quietly before saying, "GUN has been fighting them?"

She sighed. "After you were sent from the ARK we kept trying to fight off the mechs. But . . . it didn't go so well. Some of us were getting hurt really bad. So, we fled. We got off the ARK and Tails took us out into space. We got pretty far from the ARK and stopped so we could take care of the one that got hurt."

Shadow nodded to show he understood.

"We saw the Eclipse Cannon start to fire," she continued. "Eggman was using his EGG to destroy major cities the world over. We quickly got down to the planet, but by then the damage was done. Eggman hacked into the word's broadcasting systems and announced-" She drew herself up, imitating the said doctor "-'Surrender or I'll destroy the rest of you!'" She glanced at him. "Some coward nations surrendered right then. But for those that resisted, Dr. Eggman sent down an entire army of mechs." She shook her head. "They were wiping people out. And now we have what it's like today."

"Which is . . .?"

"Eggman rules the world, it's as simple as that. The city you were captured in, well, that's pretty much how every place looks. Eggman has destroyed everything. No one challenges him. Well, almost no one." She winked, grinning. "We're part of a rebellion against Eggman."

Shadow cocked one brow. "A rebellion?"

"Yeah. So far we've kept secret. Eggman knows there's resistance, but he hasn't been able to find us. We have three separate bases. Two are GUN units, and the third is where all of us –Sonic, Rouge, Knux, and such – all stay. Along with more GUN soldiers, of course."

Shadow shook his head. "I can't believe this. How are the mechs so powerful?"

"You tell me, you knew R1."

"Is it still alive?"

"Yeah," she replied, the car bouncing as the road became uneven. "It's with Eggman, wherever _he _is. Sometimes we hear about R1 coming to deal with a problem personally. It led the attack against our fourth rebel base, once that was discovered. It's no longer around."

"So," he frowned, "has GUN discovered a way to stop the mechs?"

She flashed him a smile. "At first, they couldn't be stopped unless by overwhelming odds. Once the major armies and cities of the world were crumbled, that just wasn't possible. But, during some attacks we would kill a mech and take its body to our base. Tails would do experiments on it, trying to find a weakness. We brought him every body we killed until at last he developed a weapon that can stop them." She beamed, seeming very proud of the fox. "It's kind of like a spear. There's only two problems with it: One, you have to be close enough to stab them; and Two, there's a limited supply. But only one hit kills them, which is a tremendous advantage."

Shadow digested the information, gazing at the passing land. It was black under the clouds, and all looked the same. Wherever they were heading was far out from civilization. "How many of the weapons are there?"

"I dunno." She shrugged. "But, just recently GUN as made machines to produce them, we no longer have to have our top scientists do it by hand. And even then it was under Tails' instruction. This is going so much faster. But we do lose the weapons faster than we can make them."

Shadow rubbed his forehead. "This isn't good. I can't believe I was out for all this."

Her voice took on a soft tone as she responded, "It wasn't your fault, Shadow."

Ignoring her attempt at comfort, he said, "Why did only you come after me?"

"The rest went on an important mission. I went rogue and came after you. Once we found your location, I just couldn't wait." She grinned. "But the mission _was _very important. If they succeeded, that will finally be our break into taking Eggman down!"

He cocked his head to the side. "What was the mission?"

She waved him off. "I'll explain it to you once we get to Beta."

He frowned. "Beta?"

"Yeah, we have three bases: Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. I think _we _should be Alpha, because _our _base was the one to create the weapon to take out the mechs. Unfortunately, the Commander resides in another one, so it has to be Alpha." Her tone revealed just what she thought of that.

"The Commander?" he said. "The one with the two-colored eyes?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "He's still around. He's not gonna be happy when he finds out I rescued you." She smiled mischievously.

"He shows up at . . . Beta?"

"Sometimes. Or we see him when we do large-scale attacks." She perked up. "Oh! We're close!"

Shadow watched as the road curved around past some large boulders and then suddenly she drove off the road, the car bouncing as it rolled over the ground. They came upon a cavern entrance that dived down into the ground. Storm drove the car into it, the headlights cutting through the dark. It was colder and smelled of dirt.

"This is one of two entrances," Storm told him, rocky walls slowly passing her. "The other is much larger and that's where we take or big machinery in and out. This entire place is well-guarded by Tails' and GUN's cloaking technology. Eggman can't find us here unless he walks inside."

Shadow nodded. "This all sounds very well planned out."

"I hope so, we've spent enough time on it."

Shadow had to once again remind himself that he'd been gone for two years. The thought created a hole in his chest. He had missed all of this. Perhaps, if he'd been there, he could have done something to help stop it.

Deciding it was useless to dwell on it, he said, "Thank you for coming after me."

She gave him a sideways smile. "You've said that already, Shadow."

"But I mean it. No one . . ." He paused, considering. "No one's ever done that for me before."

"Well, it wasn't _just _me. We've all torn GUN bases apart searching for you." She sighed. "They're gonna be mad that I left them. But hey! I brought back you so they should be grateful!"

He smiled. "I'll do my best to clear you."

The thought that they all had missed him, that they all had been looking for him for two years, was a new one. He couldn't deny the fact that he considered them friends, but to have them return the gesture so strongly wasn't something he was use to.

"Here we are." She pulled the car to the side of the mouth of a large cavern. It was lit by some sort of battery-powered lights that ringed the rocky walls. Some maps covered the rock, along with plans for a spear-like weapon and some lists. Tables and sofas sat about and were occupied by GUN soldiers who were lounging around and talking.

"Follow me, I'll show you around," Storm stated, beckoning with her hand.

Shadow followed as they made their way through the large cavern. Their footsteps thudded against the rock, but were drowned out over the hum of the soldiers' voices. Some looked up in alarm, other watched with mild interest, while still others ignored them entirely.

"This is where we all can relax," Storm said. "Or gather for big discussions." She motioned to a tunnel that branched off. "In there is where the food is kept. We always have plenty, but there's still the chance that one day something will happen and we'll be low. So no one eats too much.  
Shadow looked at the food some soldiers were consuming. It was sandwiches, bags of chips, or even just a glass of water. He assumed they could go into cities disguised as normal people to buy food and then bring it back.

Storm led him to the entrance of another large cavern. "Here's where we keep our big stuff."

The Ultimate Life Form was taken aback, staring at the large space. It was full of army cars and jeeps, helicopters, and tanks. Guns lined one walls, hung up on hooks. A tunnel branched off of it, and Shadow assumed that it was the other exit that Storm had talked about.

"GUN's not making them as often as they use to," she said. "But at least we have them."

He nodded. "This is good."

She turned, motioning. "C'mon, last thing's the residence halls."

Leading him back through the large cavern that held all the tables and sofas, they went into a separate, smaller tunnel. Metal doors lined the hall, and it curved and branched off at the end.

"Fancy doors," Shadow observed as they came to a stop, the lights that hung between the doors reflecting in his eyes.

"GUN installed them," she replied. "I guess they got tired of sheets being hung in the thresholds. Anyway, we have some empty spots since some soldiers died. You'll get your own room."

Shadow glanced uncomfortably at her. She had said that so casually. He supposed that being in this post-apocalyptic-like world being dominated by Dr. Eggman made people hard.

Suddenly he was squeezed tightly from behind, a sultry female voice shouting in his ear, "Shadow! You're back!"

"Hi, Rouge," he responded, trying to move his arms.

She let him go, turning him around to face her. Her eyes were alight with excitement. "I can't believe it! You're back! And you're okay!  
"You have some explaining to do, Storm," Knuckles said, walking up.

The said black hedgehog shrugged innocently. "I'm sorry?"

"Hey, Shadow!" Sonic exclaimed, running to them. "It's good to see you!"

"Likewise," Shadow smiled.

Storm watched as the group members arrived, telling Shadow how much they had missed them and how worried they had been. She could tell it moved him deeply, though he'd never say so. The tunnel was alive with the noises of their voices that echoed off the rock walls. Here, under the earth and secluded from spying eyes, he was safe. She felt her breath leave her heavily, a relief washing over her. He was safe.

"So," Shadow said. "I heard the rest of you went on an important mission . . .?"

"Yep!" Amy nodded, her hammer resting on one shoulder.

"It was successful," Sonic stated, directing it at Storm who smiled brightly in response.

"You're going to love this, Shadow," Rouge said, laying a hand on his arm. "Because we've just gotten the first step into taking Eggman down."

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**Please review, I'm so close to 100!**


	18. Chapter 18

**I meant to have this up at the start of the week, but I got writer's block, and then my laptop got a virus. 8( It was awful! Also, I went to see How To Train Your Dragon the other day, and it was amazing! You guys should all go see it! 8D**

**Gasp! I have over 100 reviews?! Thank you all for your support! Without you, there wouldn't be a story! **

**KaithePhaux: **Thank you! I try to make everything fit in together! I never write anything that doesn't serve a purpose in the story. ;) Thanks for reviewing!

**TDWfan: **That's alright, names can be used for anything, so long as she isn't like my OC. 8D I'm glad you like the title! I wanted something that refers to Storm and her influence on everything, and after scouring the dictionary for words and prefixes that mean something related to Storm, I came upon ante, which means before. And then I found antecedent, which is something that happens before something else. Basically, Storm is the antecedent for Shadow. I also thought that fit in with the story as a whole. All the events on the ARK, like R1, the Commander, Storm, Maria, and such are all antecedents to the events in this fanfic. Thanks for the review!

**And thanks to Storm337, janiemanie1993, Blue Kaous, Farming Chick, and piplupm for reviewing!**

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**Disclaimer: I still don't own Sonic!**

**Rated T for violence**

**CH. 18**

Shadow followed the group as they went down the dim corridors of the hidden base, Beta. They passed the metal doors, their footsteps echoing. It smelt strongly of the rock walls, the sounds of the main cavern faint.

Shadow felt like he was on a ride, simply taking in everything as it happened and reacting. Once he got a chance to relax, he would be able to settle his mind. It was just so much to take in in such a short amount of time.

Sonic stopped at one door and opened it, letting his friends file in by him. It was Sonic's room, a simple bed in one corner and a wooden desk with a chair in the other. He had an extra pair of shoes against one wall, and a crumple chip bag by it, but other than that the area was sparse.

Shutting the door behind them, Sonic said, "We all agreed it might be best to keep this information from GUN right now. They complicate things."

"Truer words were never spoken," Storm agreed, crossing her arms and leaning back against the wall.

As Amy, Cream, and Tails sat down on the bed, and Rouge and Knuckles stood together near the center, Shadow paused and then went to stand beside Storm. He felt a strengthened attachment to her, since she rescued him. He owed her.

Rouge pulled a crumbled paper from her pocket, waving it haughtily. "_This _little jewel is what we found while digging through the rubble of a GUN base."

"_I _did most of the digging," Knuckles said.

"But Sonic was the one who found it," Amy retorted.

"_Anyway," _Rouge sighed, "Storm, it was what we were looking for." When this elicited an excited gasp from the female black hedgehog, the bat turned to the Ultimate Life Form, "Shadow, we've been hunting this information for a few months now. She took a step to the desk and spread it out.

Shadow leaned closer, peering at it. Through the dirt and wrinkles, he was able to make out some sort of sea chart, with lines drawn through it and some areas marked.

"This details what was suppose to the docking point of a ship called the _Catalyst. _It was carrying loads of major explosives for GUN. However, it didn't reach port." Rouge smiled. "I know this because I was tracking several incognito delivery ships for GUN. This incidence would have been investigated, but Eggman decided to make a nuisance of himself. GUN hasn't bothered looking for their ships. I just remembered about this not long ago."

"It could have been destroyed, like much of the world," Amy stated, crossing her pink legs. "But it also could have crashed or washed up on the wrong port. A storm or a bad wind, or anything could have thrown it off."

"Unfortunately," Tails spoke up, "we can't know for sure what happened or if it's still there. But if it is, we have to get the explosives! They can help us stop Eggman."

"By blowing up his laser canon," Shadow nodded, understanding, "the EGG." He shifted, feeling all eyes on him. "But . . . don't you have bombs?"

"Grenades," Knuckles said. "GUN doesn't have the supplies to make large-scale bombs. Eggman made sure his army of mechs and R1 took out the bases and suppliers of those."

"Dr. Eggman wouldn't have known about the ship," Storm grinned. "So the explosives could still be on it!"

Shadow inclined his head, looking back out at the group. "Sounds like a solid plan. Where do you plan on searching?"

Rouge trailed her gloved finger along a line that went down the map. "This was the ship's course. There's only one island on the way there. We can start there, and if we don't find it we'll search the sea around it."

"Let's leave tomorrow," Sonic told them. "I'm anxious to find these bombs!"

"Me too!" Cream smiled.

"Okay then," the white bat said. "Let's all meet tomorrow morning in the south cavern and leave."

As Shadow watched them talk amongst themselves Storm slid up to him, saying softly, "The south cavern is the weapons and vehicle one. I'll get you in the morning and take you there, if you'd like."

He turned to her. "Thanks, I would like that."

After the meeting was over and the group dispersed, Storm took Shadow a little further down the hall and to the empty room that was to be his. She pushed open the door, revealing a space similar to Sonic's, with a bed and small desk. It smelled slightly musty, dust gathering in the empty corners.

"Well, here it is," Storm sighed, leaning on the doorframe as Shadow walked in, looking around. "Yours to use."

He nodded, studying the rock wall before turning to her. "Thank you."

"No problem. If you need anything, just come get me." She gestured with her thumb. "My room is right across the hall."

She looked somewhat embarrassed, but Shadow had no idea why. "Alright, thank you."

A moment of silence stretched between them.

"Are you doing okay?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"It's . . . a lot to take in. But I'll make it," he assured.

Giving him a smile, she stood up straight. "Great. Well, I'm gonna head to bed. We have an early morning. 'Night, Shadow."

He inclined his head. "Goodnight, Storm."

He watched her leave, closing the door behind her. He stood by himself for a moment, allowing his thoughts to settle. He studied the singular beam of light that ran across the ceiling, wires taped down from it to a switch near the door. He went over to the bed, sitting down. It was hard, but not uncomfortable. As he at last got a quiet moment to himself, he reflected back on what he'd learned in a matter of hours.

Dr. Eggman had won, that much was certain. Using his laser canon, the EGG, R1, and an army of 'mechs' as they were referred to, he had won. The thought was unsettling to Shadow, but not as much as the next one. GUN had captured him and he'd been in stasis for two years. He supposed he should be grateful that Eggman had been keeping GUN busy so that they simply left Shadow. The thought made him grit his teeth. They'd just left him in an abandoned city. How could people be so cruel?

That led him to thinking about the Commander. The man was still out there, and no doubt would find out about Shadow's rescue soon enough. He wouldn't be happy, but that didn't concern the Ultimate Life Form in the least bit. He didn't like to be vengeful, not after what had happened the first time, but he couldn't help the bitterness that coiled in his stomach.

Shoving it off, he turned his thoughts to what his friends had found. A chart showing the route of a GUN ship that was carrying large explosives. Their plan was to blow up the EGG, was it? It had potential, but he could already spot many flaws. They didn't know if the ship was even still there, or if the bombs would be in working order. And if they were, what then? They couldn't just go up to the ARK and strut over to the laser canon and destroy it. The mechs would stop them, like they always had. How would they get into space? Shadow hadn't seen any rockets or the like in Beta, his new home base. If they weren't even able to have the technology and means to make large bombs, he doubted they could make a rocket.

Still, at least it was a plan. At least it was some shred of hope. Hopping up, Shadow went over and turned off the light, plunging his room into darkness. He went back over to the bed and lied down, pulled the covers up around him. And, under ground, in a secret base, in a world run by the mad Dr. Eggman, Shadow drifted off to sleep.

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"Shadow!"

The urgent shouting of his name and the obnoxious shaking of his body brought the Ultimate Life Form out of sleep, panting heavily. He looked up at Storm who was staring at him in concern, her red eyes bright in the dark.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Shadow's eyes darted around his room, seeing the door partially open. He pushed himself up on his elbows. "Yes, why wouldn't I be?"

"You were screaming in your sleep."

Shadows' face colored. "I was? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake anybody up."

She offered a smile, sitting back on the bed. "It's alright, a lot of soldiers have nightmares around here so we're kind of use to it. The only time we're concerned is if someone triggers the alarm."

Shadow glanced around his room, sitting up. Evidently realizing what he was looking for, Storm told him, "We don't have one in all the rooms yet."

He nodded, thinking back on what he'd been dreaming about. It had been the ARK invasion, unsurprisingly. It was what he always had nightmares about. He rubbed his forehead, looking at her. "Storm . . . you don't have to do this."

"Do what?"

He gestured. "Come check on me every time I have a nightmare." He recalled her coming into his bedroom at Rouge's house. He supposed that had been years ago, but it seemed recent to him.

"But none of our friends sleep this close to you," she told him, scooting closer. "I'm more likely to hear you and come faster."

"That's not what I mean," he said, feeling guilty at her concern. "I mean you can just . . . leave me. I'll be fine. It happens all the time."

She frowned, her brows knitting together. "Shadow . . . I hate to see you like this. I want to help."

He laughed shortly, shaking his head. "I doubt anything will help, since nothing has changed in over fifty years. But I'll be fine." He smiled. "Really, I will."

Storm seemed unconvinced, crossing her arms. "There has to be _something _that will help you."

He felt hope stir in him at her words. A life without worrying about nightmares seemed too good to be true. But it also seemed impossible. He shrugged. "Maybe. We can talk about it later, we need to get sleep for tomorrow."

She still sat, messing with her gloves absently. Shadow watched her, the room silent and temperate. Dim light from the hall came in, accenting the curves of the rock walls.

"What is it?" he asked.

She glanced to the side, saying softly, "I've just missed talking to you. It's been so long."

Pain tore through his chest. He sighed heavily, staring at the white sheets. "It has."

There was another pause, then Storm said, "I'm sorry I let that happen to you."

"What?" he frowned.

"Getting put in suspended animation."

Shadow recoiled, his mouth dropping open. "That wasn't _your _fault."

She shrugged. "Maybe."

He reached forward, grabbing her arm. "Storm, that wasn't your fault. There was nothing anyone could do. That wasn't the first time that's happened to me, and I doubt it will be the last."

A serious expression crossed her face, her eyes blazing dangerously. "It will be the last time GUN ever hurts you, I promise you that."

Shadow stared at her, unsure of what to say. He felt touched by the strength and sincerity behind her words, yet he knew in life there were no guarantees. He'd learned that the hard way.

"Thank you," he said, letting go of her arm.

She softened, giving him a wide grin. "Anytime, Shadow." Jumping from the bed with a soft thud, she waved her hand. "I'll see you in the morning."

He nodded, settling back in the bed. "You too."

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**Please review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Wow, SO sorry for the delay! I've been really busy. I promise to get the next chapter up super-quick! 8D**

**Blue Kaous: **Hiccup was my favorite! What about you? Thanks for reviewing!

**KaiThePhaux: **Thanks so much! 8D And thanks for the review!

**Thanks to janiemanie1993, dragon queen 09, Storm337, PrincessElise320, Riverstyxx, Farming Chick (HTTYD made my life, too!), and piplupm for your wonderful reviews! **

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic**

**Rated T for violence**

**CH. 19**

"Finally," Amy sighed, placing her hands on her hips and shifting her weight to one leg. "I was just about thinking we'd never find it."

Tails squinted at the sea chart in his hands, the darkness from the low rain clouds and the heavy fog making it difficult to read. "It looks like the ship went a little off course. More than we anticipated, but at least it wasn't as far as these other islands we were going to search on."

"Let's just get this over with," Knuckles said. "That attack is making me nervous."

As if on cue they all glanced in the direction where they'd been hearing gun and cannon fire for an hour. Tails had assured them it was on the mainland and too far away to be concerned about. They suspected it was a group of Eggman's mechs that had run into resistance or were destroying a target they thought was a rebel base.

"Maybe we should be grateful Dr. Eggman is occupied," Sonic said. "Then he won't notice us. Let's get on that ship and find those bombs."

The group stood on a barren island, the ground rocky and uneven. A large, gray ship was halfway up on the shore, its hull tattered and sail shredded. With each gust of the cold wind the wood creaked, gray water lapping against its sides. Behind them was the X Tornado, or rather, Tails' remodel of it. It was black and sleek, with a strong armored exterior and heavy equipment for cloaking. It was perfect for them to search for the ship in, and to carry as many explosives as they could back to Beta.

Shadow nodded and dashed forward, running up the side of the ship and getting onto the deck. He glanced around, the fog obscuring his distance vision. Sonic and Storm ran up after him, followed by Knuckles, Rouge carrying Amy, and Cream carrying Tails.

"Let's split up and search the ship for the bombs and anything valuable," Sonic stated.

Without a word they all broke off, starting to look. The ropes that ran from the mast to the deck swayed rhythmically in the breeze, the noise of the creaking ship and water occasionally interrupted by a blast from mech attack.

Rouge ran her hand along the chipped wheel, glancing at Knuckles who was beside her, looking through wooden crates. "I'm surprised this is still standing, it must be built well."

The echidna grunted in response, throwing empty crates to the side and ripping open barrels. He sniffed one and crinkled his nose. "Alcohol. Disgusting."

She smiled, looking out to see what everyone else was doing. Amy, Cream, and Tails were disappearing down into the interior of the ship. Sonic was gone, probably running about on his own. Shadow and Storm were looking through more crates on the ship.

"Those two are awfully cute, don't you think?" Rouge inquired, leaning back against the steering wheel.

Knuckles frowned up at her, wondering why she'd ask his opinion on anything "cute". He glanced to what she was referring to. "Hmph."

"They've hardly left each other's side since Storm brought him back. I guess that brought them closer together."

The red echidna shrugged, going back to his work. "Well, they also share similar pasts. I'd be close to anyone that came here from Angel Island." That made him think of the Master Emerald, and he gritted his teeth. It was still in Eggman's possession aboard the ARK.

Rouge gave him a smirk. "Closer than me and you?"

"Rouge, I'm working."

Shaking her head in amusement, for that was Knuckles she knew well and very much liked, she went off to search the ship.

Storm sighed heavily, leaning on the edge of the ship. She looked at Shadow. "Do you wanna go below deck?"

"Sure," he nodded, turning to walk that way when he stopped, whipping back around, his eyes searching the fog.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her senses jolting into alert.

Shadow scanned the area, his body still. He slightly relaxed, looking back at her. "I . . . thought I heard something, but I guess not. Let's go."

"Yeah, this ship gives me the creeps."

They headed down the dark stairs into the interior of the ship, their footsteps echoing amidst the groans of the wood. They came to a landing, a hallway branching off on either side. Wood was splintered, doors standing open.

Storm peered further down the stairs, seeing them sink into blackness. "Hmm. Wanna go first?"

They heard footsteps thundering up the stairs and Shadow tensed. But it was just Amy, Cream, and Tails, smiles on their faces and flashlights in their hands.

"We found the explosives!" Cream said. "They're down there in the cargo area."

"I'll go get the others," Amy stated, pushing past them and up onto the deck.

"Follow me," the yellow fox gestured, turning to go down the stairs again. Shadow, Storm, and Cream obeyed, going deeper into the ship. The air became colder and humid, the creaks of the wood becoming louder. They went down into a large space at the base of the ship. It was completely dark, the two flashlights breaking it in round beams. The lights swept over the floor that was covered in a few inches of water, beams that were strung with rotted rope, empty crates and broken beds, and at last a raised section that held the explosives.

They were contained in barrels, each about as large as their bodies. Dust covered the tops white, and they were stacked in a few rows.

"There's a lot of them," Tails smiled.

Shadow nodded, his red eyes surveying the bombs. "There is twenty."

The fox gave him a look as Amy came down the steps, the rest of the group following her.

"Great, now my boots are ruined," Rouge sighed as her heels splashed in the grimy water.

"Alright then," Sonic beamed, placing his gloved hands on his hips. "Let's get these back to the X Tornado."

Tails, the closest to the bombs, bounded over to them, stepping up onto the platform and wrapping his arms around one. He strained, grunting, but didn't budge the barrel. He let go, frowning. "These are really heavy."

Suddenly Shadow was at his side, lifting the bomb effortlessly and dashing off, causing a wind to tug at them.

Tails blinked at the space where Shadow had been. "Whoa, he-"

"Excuse me," Storm said, suddenly at his side and reaching past him for her own barrel. She lifted it up, letting out her breath in a huff. "You're right, these are heavy." Then she disappeared, too.

Knuckles gritted his teeth, hopping up by the explosives. He heaved one into his arms, and as he headed toward the stairs much slower than the last two, he mumbled under his breath, "Cocky Ultimate Life Form and his perky prototype."

Shadow jumped off the edge of the deck, landing on the rocky ground. He surveyed the island, clutched in fog, the sounds of the mechs attack at last fading.

"Careful with that thing," Storm said as she landed beside him, grinning. "You don't want to blow us all up."

He smirked, walking toward the black X Tornado. "It would be ironic if these bombs are dead."

She laughed. "Wouldn't it? We better test one once we get back to Beta. Though with our luck we'd test the only working one."

Shadow opened his mouth to answer when he stopped, glancing to the side. "Did you hear something?"

"Me? No." Storm stopped, looking in the direction of his gaze. "Maybe it's an animal."

Frowning, Shadow turned away, heading toward the X Tornado again.

The group quickly was able to get nineteen of the explosives into the cargo area of the X Tornado. They all stood outside in a loose line as Knuckles loaded the bomb he brought. Shadow came out as the echidna went in, glancing at the group. "Just one left?"

"Yes," Tails nodded.

"I'll go get it," the Ultimate Life Form volunteered, heading toward the ship.

"I'll get the X Tornado started," the fox said, hurrying inside.

Amy sighed, running her fingers through her quills. "This humidity is just awful."

"Tell me about it," Rouge agreed. "It's a good thing I always look flawless."

Storm rolled her eyes, grinning.

Shadow jumped onto the deck, landing with a thud. He held Cream's flashlight in his hand, and he clicked the light on. He descended the stairs, his senses on alert. He passed the hall and went down into the bottom of the ship, the cold enveloping him.

His shoes splashing in the dirty water, Shadow went over to the last explosive, retrieving it from its perch. He dashed back up the stairs and onto the deck, a breeze stirring his striped quills. Just as he took a step he heard a soft creak to his right. He whipped around to face it and saw a figure shooting through the fog at him. Shoving the bomb behind him, he darted forward to meet the attack.

Shadow hit something solid and was sent sliding back, grunting from the force.

"Shadow?" he heard Sonic call.

"Stay there!" the Ultimate Life Form snarled. "There's something up here."

Shadow's eyes searched the fog, adrenaline pumping through his blood. Suddenly he was tacked, hitting the deck roughly. He rolled over, kicking whatever it was off of him and coming back to his feet. He heard the attack before he saw the flash of silver coming at him. He ducked and kicked out, catching his attacker and sending it back.

"Shadow?" Storm's voice came. "What's going on?"

He was about to respond when he was knocked on his back, a metal arm shoving into his neck. He gripped it, struggling to pull it off. He was having trouble breathing, squirming on the deck. The weight that had him down was strong. He looked up to see who his attacker was through the fog, and his eyes popped wide.

It was R1. The silver humanoid robot stared at him silently, its large, glowing yellow eyes piercing the dim light.

"I've at last found you, Shadow," R1 stated, its voice tinged with a mechanical echo.

The black hedgehog kicked his legs up, wrapping them around the robots middle to pull it off. He did a kip-up to his feet, facing his enemy.

"Shadow?" Storm said, hopping onto the deck. She recoiled, looking between the two.

"Tell the others to take off," the hedgehog snapped. "I've got this."

Storm glared at him, about to spit back a reply but thought better of it. He knew that the robot could follow them and find their base. But she had no intention of leaving him _anywhere. _"Okay." She turned and hopped off, running over to the group.

"What's going on?" Rouge asked.

"Shadow's up there with R1," she replied, causing the others to gasp. "He told us to leave, but-"

"We will do no such thing," Rouge finished, crossing her arms.

Sonic turned to the rabbit. "Cream, get into the ship with Amy and Tails and get ready to leave quickly. Rouge and Knuckles, would you stay in there to protect them? In case R1 gets away?"

Knuckles opened his mouth to let fly a heated retort when Rouge began dragging him up the black ramp. "Got it, honey. You hedgehogs be careful."

Knuckles desperately dug his shoes into the metal, looking at Sonic. "You can't kill it without me!"

"We're not going to kill it," Storm told him. "We're going to distract it so we can get out of here with the bombs. The longer we stay our chances of being caught increase."

"And if we can't distract it," Sonic added, "then you all will just leave." Not giving them a moment to argue, he took off for the ship, Storm following.

Shadow grunted as he was knocked back into the mast, the wood splintering and digging into his back. He rolled off as another punch came, sending wood chips flying. Shadow ducked and dodged as the robot swiped at him before snapping out a kick, sending R1 sliding back.

The robot came again, throwing an elbow that Shadow blocked, and following that up with a punch. The hedgehog yanked to the side, swinging his own fist around to attack. R1 ducked, ramming its shoulder into Shadow's chest. He stumbled, quickly regaining his balance. He heard two wooden thuds and looked up to see Sonic and Storm on the deck.

"No!" he shouted. "Go back with the others."

Sonic rolled his eyes but Storm knew Shadow wasn't saying that out of any form of vanity or superiority. STR1 was created by Professor Gerald to combat specifically _him_, and had already proven to be quite a match. He was concerned that they would be seriously hurt.

"We can't let you have all the fun," Sonic stated, getting into a ready stance.

Without turning to them, R1 said, "Stay back, or you will be destroyed."

Sonic and Storm shot forward at the same time, a blue and black blur across the deck. As they got to the robot it struck out at both of them, but Storm dropped and Sonic jumped, keeping away from the attacks. Without a pause R1 spun around and attacked again in less than a second, sending them both flying back.

Shadow jumped at the robot, punching and kicking furiously. The sound of their blows echoed in the island's emptiness. A strike caught the Ultimate Life Form across the face, stunning him. R1 grabbed his arm and spun around, throwing him into the door. Shadow crashed through it, hitting the stairs. He struggled to right himself as he rolled down them. He landed on his back on the landing, a moan slipping through his lips. He looked up to see STR1 shooting down at him. He kicked his feet up, sending his enemy over his head and down the other flight of stairs.

Hearing the crashes as R1's hard, metal body hit the steps, Shadow darted down after it, splashing into the water at the bottom level. His breathing seemed too loud as he looked around, the darkness blinding him. He heard drops of water and then the robot's bright eyes came into view as it walked toward him.

"How did you find us here?" Shadow asked.

"I was in the vicinity," STR1 answered.

Shadow knew it wouldn't give any further information, but he didn't think he needed it. R1 must have been with the mech attack they could hear. Perhaps it had seen the X Tornado or was simply scouting the area. It made little difference now. He had to make sure that R1 did _not _follow them back to the base.

Its glowing eyes reflected on the water, creating neon yellow streaks that swirled and rippled. They slightly lit up the curves of its body and the edges of any objects near it. It was enough light for Shadow, and that was all that mattered. He shot forward, closing the gap between them. Water splashed as they fought, Shadow grunting with each attack.

Sonic and Storm picked themselves up off the deck, the cold air tugging at their quills and Storm's red clothes.

"That hurt," she said.

Sonic frowned, looking back at the X Tornado. He could see Tails through the front window, the yellow fox staring at him with wide eyes. He looked back over the ship, thinking. His green eyes settled on the explosive Shadow had been carrying, and he smiled. "I have an idea! Go get a match from the X Tornado."

Water got into Shadow's ears, nose, and mouth as R1 shoved him under. It was repulsive against his tongue, and he felt his stomach churn. He kicked out roughly, pushing his opponent away and jumping up. He spit out the water, blinking away drops that rolled into his eyes.

STR1 spun around for a kick. Shadow dropped low, sweeping the robots legs out. It got quickly back to its feet, backing away from the hedgehog's follow-up attack. It kicked twice, the first which Shadow dodged and the second that he ducked, then it did a back-thrust kick, its heel connecting. Shadow stumbled back, tripping over a pile of crates. He picked one up and threw it as the robot rushed forward and jumped. It crashed through the crate in mid-air, and Shadow dropped and rolled out of the way, pieces of boards hitting him.

"Shadow!"

He turned, looking back to see Sonic and Storm on the stairs, the last explosive and a lit match in their hands. He jolted, realizing what they planned. Giving a nod, he kicked a crate at R1 before turning on his heel and dashing toward them.

They raced up the stairs as they heard the robot in pursuit, the match giving them just enough light. Bounding past the landing and up the next set of stairs, Shadow glanced back, seeing the silver robot closing the gap between them.

"Give me the bomb," Shadow stated as he saw the deck coming into sight.

"Yes, captain," Storm said with a salute, handing the barrel over. Sonic moved closer, getting the match ready.

With a few more steps to go Shadow snapped, "Light it!"

The blue hedgehog did, a small flame starting at the tip of the fuse. As they burst onto the deck, Shadow turned around, threw the bomb into the air, and kicked it, sending it down into the stairs.

As they raced across the deck the bomb exploded. Fire shot out from the opening, smoke choking into the air. The force ripped up boards and sent crates flying. The mast cracked, tipping to the side. The three hedgehogs were sent flying off the ship, landing roughly on the rocky ground. They scrambled to their feet, racing up into the X Tornado as the ship began to be torn apart.

"Taking off!" Tails shouted.

Shadow felt the plane shake as they found themselves in the empty docking space, a hall branching off. He dropped to the ground with Sonic and Storm, not wanting the quick take-off to knock them from their feet. There was another violent shudder before they felt gravity push their bodies against the floor.

A few seconds passed before Tails announced over the intercom system, "We're in the air and heading to BETA. All clear."

"Alright!" Sonic shouted, sitting up. "We did it, gang!"

Shadow sat, feeling relief wash through him. He was sore, bruised, and cut, but all that was the last on his mind. They had escaped with nineteen explosives. And he certainly hoped that R1 had been destroyed in the explosion.

"That was awesome!" Storm cheered.

He turned to her, smiling, when suddenly her arms wrapped around him tightly in a hug. Shadow was taken aback, his body stiffening. After a moment he returned the embrace, feeling content.

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	20. Chapter 20

**Aha! I said I'd have a fast update! This is making up for the delay!**

**LegendOfMidna: **Hi! I'm glad you like this one! Thanks for the review!

**And thanks to Storm337 and janiemanie1993 for your reviews!**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic**

**Rated T for violence**

**CH. 20**

They quickly returned to Beta, Tails passing over the hidden, smaller entrance Storm had taken Shadow in through. The fox flew them a few yards further and hovered for a moment, scanning for any activity or radar that would track them. Once he was certain they were safe, he sent a message into the base and a section of the ground opened up. He dropped the X Tornado into it and flew down a wide passage into the large hangar that housed the tanks, vehicles, and all other large machines the secret base possessed. They left the plane and Sonic quickly coordinated soldiers taking the explosives into a safe place. The GUN soldiers were ecstatic about the discovery, and it was decided that that evening they would have a base-wide meeting to come up with their options.

Shadow watched all this as a detached observer. He felt like he knew next to nothing about how things worked around Beta, and was happy that his friends were easily able to get everything organized. He supposed they'd been doing this for over a year now and it came naturally. He shook his head. It was sad that a life like this, full of sneaking and plotting, could become natural routine.

The group headed into the main room, the cavern stretching wide. Maps and charts hung on the rocky walls, and tables and sofas were set about where GUN soldiers were eating and talking. The Ultimate Life Form remembered Storm telling him that here was where they could relax or gather for big meetings.

They were startled when a few soldiers called them out, trying to talk over each other.

"Wait, what?" Sonic interrupted, holding his hands up.

One said, "A small group from Alpha is here with the Commander."

"Uh-oh," Amy said.

"Definitely," Tails nodded.

"He knows about Shadow?" Sonic questioned.

The soldier nodded. "That's what he's here about."

"_STORM!" _

The room got quiet in a hurry, all heads turning to the sound of the voice. The Commander, flanked by a few soldiers from his own base, was quickly crossing the room, his face red and two-colored eyes furious.

Rouge turned to Tails. "Could you take Cream to her room, sweetie? I don't think she should see this."

The fox nodded, grabbing Cream's hand. "C'mon, Cream, let's go play."

Shadow was stunned as his friends stepped in front of him, their faces twisting into glares. Storm moved past the others up to the front, placing her hands on her hips.

The Commander stopped in front of them, fuming. "How _dare _you take Shadow!"

"How do you know it was me?" Storm snapped.

"I had a camera in the room!"

Storm pursed her lips. "Danget."

The Commander's hands curled into fists. "You are playing a dangerous game here, Storm!"

She stepped forward, glaring up at him. "I spent over fifty years on an island with you; you don't scare me, _Commander. _What you did to Shadow was wrong, and if the base hadn't been so hard to find he would have been out before."

"He belongs with GUN," the man seethed.

"He doesn't belong to anyone," she snarled. "We can't fight over him like some sort of trophy."

The Commander's hand trembled, moving closer to the gun on his hip. "You will hand over Shadow, _right now."_

Knuckle stepped forward. "You'll have to go through me first."

"And me," Sonic nodded.

"Me too," Amy added, drawing out her wooden hammer.

Shadow blinked, a mixture of emotions churning inside of him.

The Commander looked down at them, then over at the white bat. "_Rouge."_

She waved her gloved hand. "Hi, Commander."

The Commander stayed silent a moment, breathing hard. He seemed to be considering his options before he looked back to Storm. "This is _not _over. I _will _get Shadow back."

"You touch him," Storm growled, "and I'll make you sorry."

The man snorted before turning on his heel, walking quickly away. Conversation in the large room became louder again, a steady hum in the cavern.

"I really hate that guy," Amy said, shaking her head.

Knuckles pounded his fists together. "I think someone needs to teach him a lesson. That'll knock him down a few notches."

Shadow didn't realize he'd been holding his breath until he let it out. As his friends talked, he began to feel light-headed.

"Shadow?"

He looked up to see Storm watching him.

"You okay?" she asked.

He vacantly nodded, bringing one hand up to his head.

She stepped past the others, grabbing his hand. "C'mon."

He let her lead him through the room, to a narrow tunnel, and outside. They went through a mess of boulders before Storm climbed up one that had a flat top. She sat down as Shadow did the same beside her, taking deep breaths of the cool air. It was refreshing in his lungs, as if there hadn't been any air in the cavern. The rocky, rough land stretched out around them, mostly dirt and sand, with a few patches of dried grass. Thin rain clouds covered the sky, giving off the scent of impending rain over the smell of the dirt.

"Are you okay?" Storm asked, looking at him.

He nodded. "I was just . . . stunned."

"Yeah, the Commander can be kind of scary sometimes."

"It's not that," he shook his head. "Sonic, Rouge, and the others stepped between me and him. They were defending me against him. And the way you shouted at him . . . No one's ever done that for me. Ever."

She looked at him sympathetically. "Life can be tough. But people care about you, Shadow."

He sighed heavily, looking out at the horizon line. "I've distanced myself from others for so long, it feels like no one should care."

Storm studied him, her red eyes softening. She reached over, touching his arm. "I care about you."

He turned his head to her, meeting her gaze. He felt something warm inside him, and it was comforting, but he had no idea what it was or why he felt it.

"Do you want to . . ." He trailed off, unsure of his question before finishing, "go do something?"

She grinned, dropping her hand. "_You, _Shadow the Hedgehog, want to be spontaneous, jump up right now, and go do something?"

He frowned, taken aback by it himself. "Um . . .Yeah, I do."

Her smile brightened. "There's hope for you yet. Let's go!"

Gripping his hand, she yanked him off the boulder and took off running over the land. She let go once he started running at the same speed as her, giving his usual half-smile. They kicked up a cloud of brown dust as they ran, their feet blurs under them.

"It feels good, doesn't it?" Storm asked.

"It does," he agreed.

They dashed over the land for awhile, the wind beating against them. Sometimes rain would sprinkle down, light and refreshing. Storm assured him she knew where they were going, and eventually they stopped at a place that Shadow found very familiar.

It was the amusement park they'd gone to just before they left for the ARK, so full of hope that they would stop Dr. Eggman. But it wasn't as he remembered it. It was vacant, no people around and no rides turned on. It was silent and still, a sad testimony to how things had changed.

"What happened?" Shadow asked.

Storm crossed her arms, sighing. "Eggman's world isn't a good one. People aren't allowed to have fun, and places like this were shut down." She dropped her arms, giving him a despondent smile and gesturing. "C'mon, we won't be bothered here. This was abandoned a very long time ago. The mechs have no reason to patrol it."

He walked with her into the park, looking around. "I can't believe I missed all of this."

"It's all new to you, huh?"

"It is."

They walked through the park, passing rides and stands before going into a room full of mirrors. Shadow looked at hundreds of Shadows that gazed back at him, each with a Storm at their sides. He thought they stood out amidst the gray of the mirrors and walls. Their vibrant red and night black fur making them noticeable.

Storm grinned at one of her reflections. "I look good for my age, don't I?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Not aging is a strange thing, when you look at it through other's eyes."

"It really is," she agreed. "All our friends, they have a time limit. They age. But we don't. We have forever." She turned to him, cocking one brow. "Unless, of course, we die."

"It's not easy to kill us," he stated with a smirk.

"Not in the least bit. The Commander better watch himself."

He laughed as they turned to head out. "I still can't believe the way you yelled at him. I've never seen anyone confront him like that."

She shrugged innocently, her red eyes sparkling. "Like I said, I've been on the same island with him virtually all my life. He doesn't scare me anymore."

He grinned as they went back out into the park, a breeze tugging at their quills. Storm surveyed the empty rides around them until she looked at the ferris wheel. "Wanna get in that? On the very top seat?"

"Why not?"

They headed over to it, their footsteps the only noise. Using the metal beams in the center of the large circle, they jumped to one of the top seats. Supporting his feet on one beam, Shadow gripped the cold, metal edge of a green seat, getting himself inside. Storm followed, pulling the safety bar in front of them with a click.

"It's a nice view," Shadow observed, resting one arm on the edge.

"Yeah," she sighed, "if it wasn't so depressing right underneath us."

He frowned, chewing over her words. "Then don't look down. Just look up."

She smiled at him. "Was there some sort of deep, symbolic meaning in that?"

Shadow shrugged, grinning. "I don't know. There is if you can find one."

Storm smiled, taking a deep breath and stretching her arms. The green paint was peeling, a few patches covered with rust, but otherwise it was in good condition. She could smell the rain in the low, gray clouds, and it was a scent she liked. Even though she'd been on the run and in hiding for the last two years, she was free. She wasn't in prison. She was in control of her own destiny. And that made her happier than she'd ever been.

"So, how has everybody been?" Shadow asked. "I mean, while I was away?"

"Pretty good. Sonic's how he usually is. Amy is still chasing after him. Poor Cream is so young for all this, but I think it's made her mature. Tails is always so caught up in his work. You know, making weapons and machines and cloaking technology. We'd be in trouble without him, but I still feel sorry for him. And Rouge and Knuckles have been in their usual love-hate relationship." She laughed as Shadow smirked. Her laughter died away as she studied him. Frowning, she asked, "Shadow, why don't you ever smile?"

He turned to her, his own brow knitting together in a frown. "What do you mean?"

She waved her hand in the air, struggling for the right words. "You always . . . smirk, or give this little half smile. You never truly smile. Like a bright, radiant, carefree smile."

He cocked his head to the side. "Do I not?"

"No, you don't."

He looked into the distance, seeming pensive. At last he said, "I don't notice."

"That doesn't sound good. You don't notice that you do that?"

He shook his head, turning back to her. She couldn't tell what he was feeling, as usual, and it frustrated her. She wanted to break his stoic mask, to see what was underneath.

"Maybe I just don't find things very amusing," he said. There was no anger or offense in his voice, which she expected to hear. He seemed to be trying to rationalize his own behavior.

"It's not that," Storm responded. "I can tell it's not that. It's like . . . It's like you aren't completely happy." She paused, then, "Are you completely happy?"

Instead of answering he turned away, looking out over the land but also looking past it.

She shifted, facing him as much as she could. She placed her hand on the cold metal seat and leaned closer, saying softly, "I want you to be completely happy."

Shadow looked back at her, his eyes betraying something she could tell he wanted to hide. For a moment she was lost looking into his gaze. His eyes were so red, so full of something that she couldn't quite name. She could see cold as stiff and detached as ice, and warmth that could rival a thousand suns. It was such a unique contradiction that she found herself moving closer. He didn't move, didn't turn away. His gaze never left hers.

Her heart was pounding and her hands were shaking. She moved closer, bringing their faces inches apart. Riding on some sort of strong feeling that she wasn't even prepared for, she leaned toward his mouth, closing the rest of the gap.

And he turned away.

She pulled herself up short, her lips just an inch away from the side of his face. She hesitated, then went back to her original position, her cheeks feeling hot.

Shadow was looking hard at the ground under them, his mouth a thin line. After a moment more he said, "I'm sorry, Storm."

She bit her lip. "It's . . .It's fine."

Silence.

"We should head back," Storm said. "We don't want to miss the meeting about the explosives we found."

"Right," he nodded, his voice regaining its usual strength. "Let's go."

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	21. Chapter 21

**Alright, I just skimmed through to edit it, so if there's typos I'm sorry. **

**Desirae668: **Thanks so much! I'm glad you like it! And thanks for the review!

**Thanks to LegendofMidna, janiemanie1993, FarmingChick, and piplupm (thanks for both reviews!) for reviewing! **

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic**

**Rated T for violence**

**CH. 21**

The lights were off in the large room of Beta, almost every seat in the tables full. All eyes were turned to the projection on the wall, which showed a map of the ARK and the space around it. Some soldiers lounged lazily in their chairs, while others leaned forward attentively. A GUN general stood by the projection, talking about the discovery Sonic and his friends had made and what they'd brought back.

The mentioned group sat at one half of a table, the other half filled with more soldiers. Rouge glanced around at her friends, bored of hearing information she already knew. Most were looked to be paying close attention, but Sonic had his feet up on the table, one arm strung over the back of his chair. She knew that was just him, and that he was listening to every word. Storm was slumped over, her chin resting in one hand. She was running one finger over the chips in the table absently. The bat had noted that the two black hedgehogs hadn't sat next to each other, which was startling since they had been inseparable. Storm was abnormally quiet, and though that behavior wasn't unusual for Shadow, she could tell something was wrong. She knew they had left together for a few hours and wondered what could have possibly happened.

"So," the general said, clearing his throat, "here is our plan of attack. I've already spoken to the Commander from Alpha and the other one from Gamma, and we've come up with a solid strategy. We're going to launch three rockets, or the best substitute we have, from each secret base at the same time. Our base shall be the one to carry the bombs while the other two act as a diversion."

Shadow sighed, settling back into his chair. It sounded like a good plan so far. He didn't rather like being the one to be told what to do, but he supposed the GUN soldiers wouldn't like one hedgehog who thought he knew better (despite any evidence that proved the fact) running the show. He stole a glance at Storm and felt his chest tighten. What exactly had happened at the park? He and Storm had been bonding so strongly, and truth be told, he'd been so very happy. But then . . . she'd moved to kiss him. The thought sent his heart bouncing, but at the same he felt nervous. He couldn't decide whether he wished she had or was glad she didn't. It was something he was unprepared for.

"Each base is in charge of a different attack," the general continued, pacing back and forth. "Gamma will attack from space, hopefully drawing out any defensives Dr. Eggman has. Alpha will go with Beta inside, and then branch off to do their own diversion attack inside. Beta's position will be stealth, while the other two will be the complete opposite."

Storm straightened slightly, picturing the attack in her head. But she couldn't help but be distracted. She sat on the other side of Rouge while Shadow sat on the other side of Sonic, but she could still see him. They'd returned to the base with few words, just in time as the meeting began. Although there were two seats together, they'd both sat in the single ones, as if sharing the same thought. She didn't want to upset him further. She wasn't sure what impulse had prompted her to want to kiss him, but she was decidedly disappointed that he'd rejected her.

She let out her breath heavily. Perhaps "rejected" wasn't the proper word, but that's what it felt like to her. She'd done something she'd never done before, and her attempt wasn't returned. She felt a slight tinge of embarrassment, but it was diffused when she remembered that Shadow had apologized. He'd turned away, and then said that he was sorry. What did that mean?

She was jerked from her thoughts when she realized she needed to pay attention to the plan. The general was saying, "Once inside the ARK, the Beta group that carries the bomb will split into three. This will ensure that if one fails, there's two more to continue the mission. They will go into the EGG chamber and destroy the weapon." He straightened, stopping his pacing. "Now . . . is there any questions? . . . Good. We'll began preparation tomorrow. Dismissed."

There was a general commotion as soldiers began getting up, talking over all they'd just heard. Storm watched as her own group dispersed before turning to the bat. "Rouge?"

"Yeah," she turned around, leaning against the table.

"Can I talk to you?"

"About Shadow?"

Storm sighed, lowering her gaze. "Yeah."

Rouge sat back down, crossing her legs. "Okay, tell me what happened. It's obvious that something is going on."

The prototype shrugged before venturing, "We went to have some fun at the amusement park. And we were getting really close, you know? But then . . . he just turned me down."

"What exactly did you do?"

Her face flushed, and she glanced around to make sure no one was near. "I tried to kiss him." Upon Rouge's smile she quickly added, "I thought he wanted to, too. And I don't know why I did it, it was on the emotion of the moment. But, he turned away. And then he apologized, but I don't know what for."

Rouge looked at her tenderly. "He likes you a lot, Storm, I can tell that much. I've been around him an awful long time."

"You think so?" she asked, hope blossoming.

The bat nodded. "He does. But, Shadow doesn't warm up to very many people. And it takes him awhile to do so. He's bonded with you faster than I've ever seen him."

Storm thought she liked that idea.

"Yet, you have to understand that Shadow has had a rough life. There are many things that could be . . . I don't know . . . hindering him. Making him hesitant about opening up to someone."

"Well, tell me." The hedgehog said. "I want to know everything about him."

Rouge thought for a moment, glancing at nowhere in particular. Then she turned back to her friend. "How much do you already know? About his life before you met him."

"I know he's the Ultimate Life Form, created by Gerald Robotnik aboard the ARK. I know about Black Doom's part in his . . . our . . .creation and what the alien wanted with Shadow. I know that he was there during the ARK invasion and that Maria was shot before she sent him in an escape pod down to the planet. And I know that Shadow became GUN's prisoner and spent roughly fifty years on Prison Island." She paused. "That's pretty much it."

"Okay," the bat nodded. "Let's start from the most recent. There was an incident with a demon named Mephiles. Shadow took him on as his enemy and nearly destroyed him. But he merged with another being and it took Shadow, Sonic, and another hedgehog named Silver to stop them. But Mephiles tempted Shadow to turn against humans because all they've ever seem to do is hurt him in the end. Shadow refused."

Storm nodded to show that she was listening.

"And you know about Black Doom, trying to get Shadow to aid him in destroying the world. The only good thing that came out of Black Doom arriving was that Shadow got his memory back." At the hedgehog's stunned expression, Rouge explained, "Shadow had amnesia for a time. It was Dr. Eggman who released him from GUN's prison, and so Shadow assisted the doctor in his plot to take over the world."

Storm was shocked. She never knew this part of Shadow.

"But Eggman's plan failed. The ARK ended up heading toward the planet. It was going to crash into it and kill everyone. Shadow and Sonic went out into space and . . . and fought the Biolizard, the creature that was taking the ARK on its path."

Storm nodded, frowning. She'd seen the Biolizard before, but had thought it was harmless. But she didn't want to question the first prototype's motives. That wasn't the important information.

"They stopped it, but the ARK was still crashing. So, they created a huge Chaos Control, taking the space colony back into its orbit. But, the effort exhausted Shadow and he fell to the planet." She sighed. "We all thought he was dead."

Storm's jaw dropped, her red eye wide. "He . . . _fell?"_

The bat inclined her head. "I found him later in Dr. Eggman's base. The doctor was trying to clone him, and did succeed in making some robots. Shadow couldn't remember anything. Just his name, Maria's name, and how she died." She sighed heavily. "So, he had amnesia until Black Doom had him gather all the Chaos Emeralds. The alien also did him the courtesy of explaining why he was created, which Professor Gerald had never fully done."

Storm worked the information over in her head, the room now almost empty. "He seems to have been very close to Maria. And I guess she liked him a lot, too, if she used her dying moments to get him out of the ARK."

Something in Rouge's eyes dimmed. "All I know is what I get from Shadow or what I can tell he's feeling. He and Maria were inseparable. She meant so much to him. Her murder left a deep wound, and that's why he had such vengeance when Dr. Eggman released him from prison. It wasn't until he was able to step back and examine what he was doing that he realized Maria wouldn't have wanted that." She smiled. "So, yes, they were very close."

Storm was awed. Shadow had had it rough. She couldn't believe he was still able to keep his sanity after everything he'd been through. She thought it made her long imprisonment seem like nothing. She began to get an idea, a start of a theory of why Shadow turned her down. If it wasn't because he didn't truly like her, then maybe it was rooted in his past . . .

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Shadow turned as he heard a knock on his door. Crossing the small room, he opened it to find Storm.

"Shadow," she said, looking at him seriously. "We need to talk."

"About what?" he asked, glancing at the rocky walls.

Her hard expression fell. "We need to talk about what happened at the amusement park. I don't want us to not be friends because of a . . . whatever it was."

Shadow sighed. He didn't want to talk about it, but he had to admit that she had a point. He leaned against the door frame. "Okay."

When she realized that he wanted her to go first, she said, "Did I . . . offend you by . . . making a move?"

He would have been amused by her dancing around the specific words, but it actually made him happy that she did. "No, no you didn't."

She studied him before continuing, "So, we're still friends?"

"Yes, I want to be friends," he agreed. "I'm sorry that I stopped talking. I just . . . didn't know what to say."

She leaned forward, an eagerness and tenderness in her eyes. "But, on the ferris wheel, you apologized. You apologized for turning away." She cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

An uncomfortable feeling settled in his gut. "I'm . . . just not . . . ready."

"But do you feel something for me?" she asked, leaning closer.

Shadow rested the side of his head against the doorframe, closing his eyes. "I like you a lot, Storm." He opened them again. "But when _that _is concerned I don't know what I want."

She responded softly, "Is this about Maria?"

Shadow felt a jolt through his body, his eyes going wide. Before he could reply, a GUN soldier suddenly walked up, skidding to a stop upon seeing them.

"Storm," the soldier said, drawing her attention. "I'm sorry, but the Commander has contacted us and he wants to speak with you."

She let out her breath. "Okay, thanks." Glancing at Shadow, she turned around and headed off.

Her thoughts turned from the Ultimate Life Form as she walked down the hall, wondering what it was the Commander wanted. She really was in no mood to talk to him, but then again she was never in the mood to talk to him. She left the hall that was lined with doors and crossed the large room full of tables, some occupied by soldiers. She went into one of the many small backrooms that were used for a variety of purposes. Since the Commander was at his own base, she knew which room to communicate with him in.

She opened the door and went inside, shutting it behind her for privacy. The only light came from the large computer screen mounted on the wall, shining blue light on her face and accentuating the curves of the rocky walls. The computer was used for its webcam, allowing the bases direct communication. Thick wires and gadgets were attached to it. They were Tails' creations, preventing anyone from spying over the computer.

Right now the screen was filled with the Commander's face as he watched her coolly.

Storm crossed her arms, coming to a stop in front of the screen and looking up at the man. "What's up?"

"Storm, I want Shadow."

Her mouth twisted into a scowl. "And I already told you, no way."

"You are going to give him back to me. He's GUN's property and you stole him."

"He's no one's _property," _she snapped. "And I'm not going to have this argument with you."

The Commander's eyes flashed dangerously. "Don't talk down to me. If you don't give me Shadow, I promise you that I will make your life very difficult."

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Commander, you and I hate each other. Why don't you have this conversation with someone who actually cares what you say? Try Sonic, he's more or less the leader of our group. Although you won't get anyone to "give you" Shadow, as you call it. Go bother someone else." She paused, a thought occurring to her. She peered up at the screen, her eyes narrowing. "Why _are _you talking to me about it? There's lots of other people here, with higher ranking positions, that you'd be better off talking to."

The Commander simply scowled at her, his mouth a thin line.

Realization dawned on the prototype and her eyes widened. She dropped her arms to her sides. "You want me to trick Shadow, to betray him to you like I did last time."

"He trusts you," the man responded.

Storm felt anger flare in her. "That was hell for me the first time I did it, and there _will not _be a second time." She turned on her heel, heading for the door.

"I'm warning you, Storm," the Commander said, causing her to stop. "Get me Shadow, or you _will _be sorry."

She looked back over her shoulder, glaring at the screen. "Give it your best shot." With that she walked out, slamming the door shut behind her.

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**Please review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Sorry for the delay! Life's been up and down for me lately! Good news, though, we're drawing closer to the end! Maybe two or three chapters more! **

**Thegoldenlock: **Thanks for the three reviews! I'm glad you like my story! And thanks for the suggestion! I more or less have the rest of the story outlined, but I'll see what I can do. ;) Thanks for reviewing!

**Thanks to janiemanie1993, Storm337, desirae668, and AcesofHearts for your wonderful reviews!**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic**

**Rated T for violence  
CH. 22**

Days passed as the three bases prepared for the ARK invasion. Soldiers trained and commanders plotted, and messages were constantly being sent back and forth to coordinate the preparation. Alpha and Gamma were still finishing off planes that they could take into space, since they didn't have the necessary equipment to build a rocket. For Beta, they would use Tails' X Tornado.

But as each day went by, Storm and Shadow's relationship continued to be stiff. They still talked and sat by each other, but there was a glass wall there. As the date to launch into space drew closer, Shadow became more and more sure that he needed to speak to Storm. He didn't want them to at last defeat Dr. Eggman and still be distant from each other. However, talking about his emotions wasn't something he was very good at.

These thoughts plagued his mind as he lied in the bed of his small room, staring up at the ceiling. Finally giving up on sleep, the Ultimate Life Form rolled out of bed and left his room. He went down the hall and through the large room full of tables, a few lights casting a dim, soothing glow over the area. A cool breeze brushed against him as he went outside, the moon high overhead. Shadow took in the boulder-strewn area, standing in the shadow of one. He took a deep breath, the air cleansing his lungs and clearing his head.

"Hey."

He jumped, turning to look at Storm as she approached them.

She grinned, seeing that he was startled. "Can't sleep either?"

He shook his head, letting out his breath in a huff before turning to look across the land. "No."

Storm came up beside him. "I heard we should be going tomorrow, or the day after. At least it's not our base holding up the process."

Shadow smirked, nodding. "I'm eager to go."

They stood silently for a moment, and Storm shifted uncomfortably. "So . . . is something bothering you? Why are you up?"

He studied the ground as he replied, "Storm . . . I don't want to lose your friendship." He met her eyes. "We need to work out whatever it is that's come between us."

"I agree," she said softly.

Silence enveloped them again, a breeze stirring the blades of grass. The moonlight shone silver on their fur.

"Shadow," she said, her unusually quiet voice carrying in the night, "you know I like you a lot."

"I know," he nodded.

"And aside from Gerald I've never had a close friend. You mean everything to me." Her voice was strained on the last sentence, emotion coming through. Shadow was floored by the sincerity in her words. Storm took a breath before continuing, "I've never done something like this before; never felt something like this. When I try to put words to what I'm feeling, I can only say one thing." She met his eyes solidly, so that he would know she was serious. "I think I love you."

Shadow felt dread and apprehension clutch at his stomach at the same time that thrill shot through his heart. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I . . . don't know what to say, Storm."

A frown danced across her face. "You don't know what to say?" After a pause, she added, "You don't love me?"

"I can't love you," he whispered, looking out at the horizon line.

She stepped closer, brow puckered. "What do you mean?"

"I just can't," he responded, turning back to her.

Deep hurt at rejection made anger ignite in the prototype's veins. "That's not a reason. Why can't you?"

"Because," he snapped, angry because they were verging on a subject he'd rather not discuss.

"That's not a reason, either!"

Shadow turned to fully face her. "Why does this need a reason? I just can't."

"Why?" she shouted, coming closer.

"Because!"

"Because _why?"_

_ "Because I can't lose someone again!" _He yelled, the quiet afterward seeming to make his voice echo.

Storm stepped back, her eyes widening in comprehension.

"That's why," he continued, his voice soft now. "I've already lost the most important person in my life once. I can't do it again." He closed his eyes, a pain shooting through his chest. "It would kill me."

"I understand," she whispered. "But, Shadow, I'm not Maria. The ARK was a very long time ago, for both of us. It was hard for me to be ripped away from everything I ever knew, and I can only imagine how bad it would be to see it all destroyed. But that was the past."

Shadow shook his head. "I try to forget the ARK invasion, but that's not something that's easy to forget. It's a part of me."

"That's what is always bothering you. You're not completely happy because you're carrying around a wound that's not healed." She touched his arm gently, his skin warm. "The past is the past. You need to let go. You should be happy." She squeezed his hand. "I want you to be happy."

The Ultimate Life Form pulled his hand away. "Thank you, Storm, but it's not your problem. I just have to deal with it."

Her shoes crunched dirt underfoot as she moved closer to him again. They were straying from the subject. "So, this is why you 'can't' love me. Why you can't love anyone? Because of Maria's death?"

"Her murder," he snapped, his red eyes narrowing. "Death is natural. Death happens to everyone. Death is _fair. _Murder is not."

"No, it's not," she agreed. "But I'm not Maria. I won't get killed."

He shook his head. "You can't ensure that."

"I'm your prototype, of course I can," she said with a smirk, the cool breeze tugging at her red clothes. Her smile dropped as she pressed, "Listen, Maria wouldn't want-"

He turned on her suddenly, eyes blazing. "I don't want to hear another _word _about _Maria."_

"This is your problem!" Storm exclaimed. "You can't face your demons and destroy them when they're something you can't touch!"

"Oh, and you can?" he snapped, the silver moonlight flashing in his eyes.

"I've dealt with my own nightmare for _years _in GUN's prison. Not a day went by that I didn't wish to be able to undo getting captured by GUN and being taken away from Gerald. The thought of being locked away again scares me to death. But I'm not going to let that stop me from having the happiest life I can create."

"Well, that's good for you," he growled.

"You need to stop torturing yourself," Storm replied. "You have such a beautiful soul, you should be happy. I can't let you be miserable your whole life!"

"Why not?"

"Because I love you!" she shouted, staring into his red eyes. "I love you, Shadow."

He let out his breath heavily, looking down at a boulder's shadow that was draped across the rough ground. When he spoke, his voice had quieted down and was heavy with hurt. "You don't want me, Storm. I'm broken beyond repair. I can't give you everything you should have."

She moved in front of him, taking his gloved hands in her own. "All I want is to put your heart back together, even if I have to use pieces of my own."

Shadow felt tears sting at his eyes as he looked at her. It had been so long since someone had cared about him so deeply. Since someone was willing to allow themselves to be hurt for him. He squeezed her hands tightly, their matching red eyes locked. Maria had been the sole purpose of his existence, but what he felt for Storm was deeper. It stunned him, but he welcomed it, because it felt good.

Storm felt such a strong magnetism toward him that it was overwhelming. As they stood together, outside of the hidden base, the night dark and silent around them, they moved their faces closer together. Red eyes lingering open before at last drifting closed, they met mouths in a kiss. Their hands parted and arms wrapped around the other's body, pulling them closer.

Suddenly Shadow stepped away, his eyes burning with emotion. He opened his mouth to say something, hesitated, then turned and raced back to the base, leaving Storm standing alone.

Shadow ducked back into the tunnel that led into the base, suddenly enveloped in darkness. He rubbed his eyes as he went down, his face burning. In fact, his entire body felt on fire and torn up by emotions. His steps echoed in the rock hall as he stopped at the edge of the tunnel that led into the main room. All the tables were silent and still, black shadows cast under them from the light.

Shadow slumped against the wall, Storm's words turning in his head.

_I think I love you. _

He sighed, closing his eyes.

_I'm not Maria. I won't get killed. _

_ You have such a beautiful soul . . ._

_ You need to let go. You should be happy. I want you to be happy. _

_ I love you, Shadow._

He covered his face, feeling tears threatening in his eyes.

_All I want is to put your heart back together, even if I have to use pieces of my own. _

No one had ever cared about him like that since Maria, and it was bittersweet. He felt hot tears come from his closed eyes and they soaked his gloves.

_I'm not Maria. I won't get killed. _

_ I'm not Maria. _

No, she most certainly wasn't. He hadn't even felt this way about Maria. This was something so much more.

_You need to let go. You should be happy. I want you to be happy. _

_ I love you, Shadow. _

He choked out a sob, sliding down the wall to sit.

_I love you, Shadow. _

She loved him, and he loved her. There was no point in denying it anymore. The only problem was, he had vowed to never draw close to anybody again. Losing someone like that would kill him. And now, not only was he close to another, he loved her more than he loved Maria.

_Life isn't about waiting out the storms, it's about learning to dance in the rain._

Shadow jerked up, his red eyes snapping open. That quote, said to him by Maria and then Storm echoed in his head. He had always cherished it's meaning, and wanted to live it like Maria had. But it was so difficult.

"I don't know what to do," Shadow whispered, drawing his knees close to his chest. He looked up at the darkness of the ceiling. "What would you do?"

He was stunned as he realized that was a rhetorical question. He already knew the answer to it. Maria never let her problems inhibit her. She never waited out the storms. She had a fatal disease, but never let it stop her from being happy. She was the kindest, most loving person Shadow had ever known.

What had happened to him? Somewhere along the course of his roller coaster of a life, he'd distanced himself from caring about anything. He hadn't even realized how big of an impact it was having on his life. Not until Storm had come along and changed everything.

In a way, he realized, he and Maria were very much the same. He had died with her that day on the ARK, and his resurrected self was not the same. His fatal disease was an emotional wound cut so deep that no one could patch it up.

Except Storm.

Just being around her made him feel like his old self again. The self that loved, that cared, that was simply happy to be alive. And, with her, maybe he could at last heal.

That thought in itself was enough. Right there, alone in a hidden base, at night, in a world where Dr. Eggman reined, Shadow let go. The wound sealed over, and the pain was shattered like a dirty window, allowing in a cleansing wind. And then he smiled. He smiled bright enough to outshine a thousand suns.

Scrambling to his feet, Shadow turned back to the tunnel that led out. He took a deep breath, the air feeling pure and new. Everything seemed new. Just as he took his first step to head back out and tell Storm, an explosion rocked the entire base.

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**Please review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Sorry about the delay! I hope you enjoy this! **

**Farming Chick: **Glad you like the line! Actually, I'm quite sure I've either heard it before or heard something like it before. Before I published the chapter I googled the line so that I'd know who to credit, but nothing came up. I'm sure though that I've seen at least something like it before. 8D Thanks for the review!

**Thanks to Blue Kaous, Thegoldenlock, BeBlessed (thanks SO much! ), janiemanie1993, KaitthePhaux, Storm337, ZehHyperactiveAuthor (Eek! Not the diary!), desirae668, TDWfan, Lord Destro, and Bloody Bonez Alchemist XD for all your amazing reviews!**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic**

**Rated T for violence**

**CH. 23**

The shock of the blast threw Shadow from his feet and sent him into the rock wall. He rolled off, keeping his balance as he looked around frantically.

What was that?

Suddenly more explosions sounded, one after the other, shaking the base. Chairs fell over and rocks tumbled from the ceiling, crashing into pebbles on the ground. Shouts began to be heard as the soldier residents panicked, cursing as they rushed out of bed to see what was going on. The large room became flooded with people and voices.

Pushing off the wall Shadow jogged forward, trying to see what the source of the explosions was. But another blast knocked him from his feet and sent a chunk of rock from the ceiling, slamming into a table and breaking it. As the Ultimate Life Form picked himself up, he realized what was happening, and it made his blood run cold.

They were being bombed from above.

Eggman found out where they were.

Shadow's mind was sent reeling. How had this happened? He hadn't spent much time in the base, but it was palpable that their security and cloaking were next to flawless. Even if the mad doctor had been able to break their security, wouldn't they have known?

"Shadow!"

The black hedgehog turned to spot Sonic running up to him, green eyes wide.

"Is anyone hurt?" Shadow asked, jogging up to meet him.

"I don't know," the blue hedgehog replied. "I saw Tails heading off, and Knuckles and Rouge are trying to save anything they can. But I can't find Amy and Cream."

A word didn't need to be spoken as they both hurried off together. Shadow's mind drifted to Storm, but he figured she was all right. If there was one thing that she had proven, it was that she could take care of herself.

Another blast sent the two stumbling sideways. Shadow watched as the base began to rain with rocks, the floor coated so that their shoes crunched with each step. They had to get out quickly; the base wouldn't hold for long.

They made a sharp turn down the hall the rooms were in, soldiers rushing out and pulling rubble off each other.

"Amy! Cream!" Sonic shouted, his voice nearly drowned out by the chaos around them.

"Here!" It was Amy.

The two hedgehogs darted to a room that the door was bent off of, the space cluttered by fallen rocks.

"Under here!" Amy's voice came again.

Shadow gripped the slab of rock and heaved it off to the side, causing Sonic to shake his head. The Ultimate Life Form peered at the rabbit and hedgehog as they stood up, dusting themselves off. "Are you hurt?"

"No," Amy responded. "What's going on?"

"We're under attack," Sonic replied. "We have to get out of here!"

Shadow turned abruptly on his heel to get out of the narrow hall. If there was a cave-in, the hall was one of the worst places to be. Rocks rained down on his head and soldiers pushed their way past, the ground shaking with each blast. They rushed out into the main room, clinging close to the wall. The center was a pile of rubble, tables cracked and chairs turned over.

Suddenly Rouge was in front of them, her white fur stained brown from the dirt. "Guys! C'mon, Tails is going to fly us out on the X Tornado."

"Is Knuckles with you?" Shadow asked, just to be sure. He didn't want anybody being left behind.

"Yes, he's in the ship," she replied. She glanced back as they ran, a frown crossing her face. "Where's Storm?"

Shadow didn't need to hear anymore after that. He broke away from the group and began running through the room, looking around frantically.

"We'll be in the hanger!" he heard Rouge shout.

As the Ultimate Life Form darted around the room, it took him a moment to realize that the blasts had stopped. The mechs must have moved on. But the damage was done. The entire base was going to collapse. It also took him a moment to notice that the room was empty through all the chaos. All the soldiers that had been running through were gone, probably taking their own transport out.

"Storm!" he shouted, rocks hitting him. "Storm!"

"Shadow!"

He turned to the sound of the voice, rushing to a wall near an exit that was now blocked off, boulders cutting it off. It appeared that a large chunk of the ceiling had crashed down. He surveyed the rocks strewn across the area. "Storm?"

"Here."

He at least spotted her head, barely visible under a rock. A pile was on top of her, her fur stained.

"My arms are trapped," she said. "I can't get any leverage to get these off of me."

Digging his heels into the ground, Shadow gripped one of the rocks and pulled it off, grunting with the effort. Tossing it aside, he pulled more off until Storm squirmed her way out, holding her arm.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking her over.

She nodded. "Yeah. I saw Eggman's ships coming. They found us."

He took her hand. "Let's go, Tails is waiting for us."

The two hurried across the room, heading toward the area where all the vehicles were kept. Shadow's red eyes looked over the crumbling base, feeling a lurching in his heart. His eyes settled on one bent door and he gasped. "Wait."

Pulling his hand from Storm's, he darted to the room, prying the door open more.

"Shadow, _come on," _Storm urged.

He looked inside to the small space where they kept the explosives they'd found. The ones their future was depending on. The ones they were going to use to stop Dr. Eggman. Those bombs were now crushed, large stones having fallen on top of them. Shadow's hands shook as he pulled the door back further, not believing what he was seeing. Without those, they had nothing.

Just as he was about to turn around, he noticed one solitary bomb setting off to the side. It was still intact, the rock slide having not destroyed it. The Ultimate Life Form hopped in, picking up the heavy explosive. Hurrying back out into the room, and registering the shock, relief, and devastation on Storm's face, they both went into the hanger.

"Hurry!" Knuckles roared, hanging out the entrance ramp. The X Tornado's engines were roaring, adding to the thunderous noise of Beta collapsing. The two hedgehogs rushed up the ramp and into the empty docking room as the red echidna slammed the door shut.

"Taking off!" Tails' voice sounded over the speaker system.

Shadow sat there, gripping the explosive tightly as he felt the ship lift under him, shuddering as it was assaulting by rocks. There was a lurch as it shot out of the base and into the open air. Suddenly everything seemed quiet, still. The chaos of Beta was behind them. It was gone.

Storm buried her face in her hand. "No."

There was a bang as Knuckles slammed his fist into the wall, cursing under his breath. After a pause he sighed and said, "Let's go up to the front."

Shadow stood, taking the bomb with him. He followed Knuckles and Storm out of the room and down a narrow hall. They entered the cockpit space, Tails seated at one chair and Sonic in the other. The window let in a view of the empty, flat land lit by the moonlight. Rouge, Amy, and Cream stood behind the chairs, and they moved to one side to allow the other three space.

They all watched silently as Tails circled around until they could see where Beta was. Or, rather, where it use to be. All that was left was a pile of rocky rubble, dust still rising from it.

"It's gone," Tails stated, his voice hollow.

Rubbing his eyes, Sonic told him, "The mechs might return. Let's leave this area. Just fly somewhere out of sight."

The yellow fox lowered the X Tornado closer to the ground, switching off the outside lights. After hitting a few more buttons inside he moved the plane into the shadows of lower parts of the land, flying without a purpose.

"What do we do now?" Cream asked, holding Cheese tightly to her.

Rouge, adjusting one of her gloves, replied, "Any survivors would be splitting off and eventually making their way in secret to Alpha or Gamma. That's what they're trained to do should we ever be discovered."

"And once they get there . . .?" Knuckles pressed.

"They'll wait, regroup," the bat responded. "Lay low until their threat seems insignificant again and then try to build up another attack."

"How did Eggman even find us?" Sonic exclaimed.

"Who knows?" Rouge shrugged. "All that matters now is that our base is gone, along with . . . " She paused, looking over at the explosive Shadow had set by his feet. The others followed her gaze, Tails glancing back.

"The others were crushed," Shadow said. "This is the last one."

A moment of silence hung over them, the gears in all their heads turning.

"We saw the kind of explosion those make on that abandoned ship when Shadow sent one at R1," the red echidna said, his eyes lighting up.

"One would be enough," Sonic finished, nodding.

"We'd have to be careful," Amy said.

"And we shouldn't tell GUN," Rouge added. "They'll want to wait. They'll hold up the process."

Storm smirked, crossing her arms. "If we want to hit Eggman, we should do it now while he's not expecting it. While many of his mechs are still down here."

A wide smile spread across Tails' face as he looked back at them. "So does that mean heading to the ARK is still a go?"

"It is," Sonic grinned.

"Alright," the fox said. "X Tornado making for the ARK."

The plane broke away from the land and curved up toward the sky, the speed increasing. As the group began to break off to get seated, Shadow touched Storm's arm, drawing her attention.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked, looking at her sincerely.

She nodded and led him back past the rows of seats and into the hallway. He turned to face her, leaning back against the cool metal wall. He studied her red eyes for a moment as she watched him patiently.

"I'm sorry about running off," he began quietly, "after we kissed. I was just so full of emotion and I didn't know what to do."

"It's okay," she replied.

"When I went back inside, I thought over what you had said. And . . . well, I reflected on my life and what I was doing." A grin tugged at one corner of his mouth. "Very deep stuff."

Storm smiled.

"And you were right. About everything." He sighed. "I've never let anybody in as I've let you. You're so much a part of my life now that I can't imagine the hole you'd leave if we separated."

Storm was touched, her heart stirring at his words.

Shadow reached forward and took her hand. "When you said that you loved me," he closed his eyes, "I felt more than I've ever felt." He opened them again. "And I love you, too. And I want us to be together."

She laughed softly. "Very deep stuff, huh?"

He nodded, laughing also. "It was."

She moved closer, closing the gap between them. Their eyes drifting shut, they kissed. For both of them, it was the first of this kind of love that they'd ever felt. For both of them, they had a past full of trauma and heartache. And, for both of them, this was the first step to moving on.

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**One chapter left! Please review!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Sorry for the delay! I've been super busy! But here's the last chapter in all its glory! 8D**

**Thanks so much to Storm337, janiemanie1993, Cstan, Thegoldenlock, BeBlessed, Bloody Bonez Alchemist XD, Asher the Fox, piplupm, and Tiryn for all your wonderful reviews! And especially to those of you who have been with me since the first few chapters! Your reviews have constantly kept me motivated and made my rainy days bright. ^^ **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic**

**Rated T for violence**

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**CH. 24**

Shadow watched through the front window as the black edges of space were covered up by the massive bulk of the ARK, floating in orbit above a shining planet like some sort of mechanical moon. His eyes grazed over the endless windows and dips and curves that lined the now-abandoned space colony. As they moved closer, he could see less and less of the ARK until they neared a docking station. But the shadow of the colony was still over them, and there was simply a sense of immenseness about the area that was breathtaking.

As Tails brought the X Tornado into the empty area, slowly landing, Shadow thought over the plan they'd all discussed. It was, basically, a smaller-scale version of the original one. They had one bomb and one chance. This was it. If they failed, they'd have to hope that one day GUN could take down Dr. Eggman.

The plan was for Cream to stay with Tails as he flew around the ARK, shooting at it and any mechs returning or leaving. In other words, creating an outside disturbance. The others would go into the ARK and split into two groups. Knuckles, Rouge, and Amy would act as a decoy, creating all the ruckus they could and drawing Eggman's attention. Sonic, Shadow, and Storm would take the explosive to the EGG and blow the laser cannon up.

At first Knuckles had vehemently protested, wanting to be in the bombing group. It wasn't out of selfishness; he wanted them to be safe and thought they'd need him. But Sonic reasoned that it would be more beneficial if the three fastest delivered the bomb. It was reluctantly agreed to.

The three hedgehogs had matches in each of their gloves to light the explosive with. They came from the survival and first aid kit that Tails always had on the X Tornado. Each group also had a com strapped around their wrists so that they could get talk to the other groups if they needed to.

As the ramp descended, everyone except Tails and Cream stepped out, looking around the hanger and out at the stars. The ramp closed behind them and the ship pulled back out.

"Okay," Sonic sighed. "Everyone knows the plan. Let's go."

With a quick nod to each other, the two groups separated, heading down different narrow hallways. Shadow had his arms tightly around the bomb, Storm and Sonic flanking him in case they were attacked. Doors flashed past as they ran. They'd already studied a map and knew their way to the Eclipse Cannon room. Shadow glanced over at Storm and she winked, giving him a grin which he returned. They would win. They had to.

S

Tails circled around the ARK, his blue eyes narrowed in concentration. Cream sat in the seat beside him, gripping the arm rests tightly.

"Alright," the fox said. "Let's let Eggman know we're here."

With that, he shot out two missiles. They curved from the ship and impacted the colony, smoke rising up. Cream clenched her jaw, waiting for the resistance she knew was sure to come.

Knuckles, Rouge, and Amy raced down the halls of the ARK, causing damage as they went. Amy's hammer crashed into machinery and broke down doors, as Knuckles shredded the walls with his fists. Rouge flew just about them, her wings causing puffs of wind to beat down. She ripped any security cameras they came across off the walls.

"How do you think the hedgehogs are doing?" Knuckles asked as they raced along. "You think we're causing a good enough distraction?"

Rouge nodded. "If they haven't noticed yet that their security is going blank, they soon will. And I'm sure some of the doors you two have smashed have an alarm set. We'll get company soon."

Amy peered further down the gray hall to see dark figures heading to them. Mechs. She hefted her hammer above her head. "Sooner than we thought."

Shadow raced through the endless hallways of the ARK, gripping the explosive tightly to him. He was flanked by Sonic and Storm, and anytime they ran into mechs the two would dash forward and knocked them out of the way, keeping Shadow's path clear. The Ultimate Life Form noted that the way they two handled the mechs was with much more experience and skill then the very first time they'd faced them. Obviously they'd had a lot of practice in fighting them.

They made their way further down the ARK, Shadow's pulse quickening as they neared the room that once held the Eclipse Cannon but now held the EGG, the laser weapon that Dr. Eggman was using to destroy cities from outer space. They would defeat him today, or die trying.

After more tunnels and stairs, they at last reached a large metal door. It opened for them, and they didn't have long to wonder why after they stepped in, the door sliding shut behind them with a hiss.

"Well, good evening," Dr. Eggman grinned, lounging against a chair. "We've been expecting you." He turned to R1 who stood by his side, then looked past him as the Commander stepped forward, his two-colored eyes narrowed.

"Yes," the Commander replied. "We have."

Cream gripped her armrests tightly as Tails sent the X Tornado spinning and diving, going around the ARK as he pursued the mechs that attacked them. They were fueled by blasters on their feet, though some were out on the debris around the ARK. The sound of the X Tornado firing was loud in the rabbits' ears.

"It's working!" Tails smiled. "More and more are coming out!"

Cream nodded. "Hopefully this will give Shadow, Storm, and Sonic the chance they need."

The room for the Eclipse Cannon looked just as Shadow remembered it. Oval and large, its ceiling rose into darkness and the floor dropped down into invisibility. A metal walkway ran along the outside wall, and several catwalks, suspended at a staggering height, ran from the walkway into the circular platform on the center. That platform had the chair in which Eggman was beside, and computer screens that showed the state of the EGG. Shadow could only assume that it was nestled down at the base of the room where they cannon for the Eclipse Cannon had been.

Just like he had been taken aback by the immense size of the ARK as they'd approached it, Shadow felt dwarfed when standing in the room. It smelled metallic, and there was a steady hum from the computers.

"It's good to see you, Sonic," Eggman nodded. "And Shadow, R1 has just been dying to see you again."

Shadow narrowed his red eyes at the humanoid, silver robot that stared back at him. "You should have been destroyed on that ship when I blew it up."

R1 cocked its head to the side, its yellow eyes unblinking. "Shadow, you should know that I am not easy to kill."

"Another mad design by an even madder scientist," the Commander said. "Gerald was playing with toys too dangerous for him."

"Commander!" Storm snapped. "_You _are with _him_?"

The man nodded. "I told you that if you didn't give me Shadow, that you'd regret it."

Shadow shot her a confused look, as did Sonic, but then both turned back to their opponents.

Storm clenched her fists. "_You betrayed us?"_

"I did. I surrendered to Eggman. I told him where the base was in exchange for him brining me Shadow. Though," at this he glared at Eggman, "this was not in the manner I wanted."

Eggman shrugged innocently. "He's here now, isn't he?"

"He has an explosive."

A grinned stretched across the crazy doctor's face. "Let's just take care of that then, shall we?"

As if on cue, R1 shot forward. Shadow dropped the bomb behind him and leapt to meet the attack, both of them crashing to the catwalk.

Sonic glanced back at the bomb when Eggman's laughter sounded in his ears and the whir of a machine echoed in the room. He turned to see the doctor hovering in a small, round, open-topped craft, a gun mounted on the front. Sonic grinned, green eyes narrowing. "Come and get me, Egghead!"

With that he turned on his heel and ran onto the wall, dashing along it. Eggman followed closely, shooting at him.

Storm looked between Shadow and Sonic, then at the Commander as he pulled out a gun and aimed it at the bomb.

"No!" Storm shouted. She tackled him, both ending up on the ground. She grabbed for the gun but it was just out of reach. He shoved her off, standing back up.

"You're not going to win," the Commander hissed.

"Then how about we settle this," she replied. "You and me."

He paused, then smiled darkly. "Might as well kill both of you."

The first shot caught her off guard, the sound pounding her eardrums. She rolled out of the way, a hole splintering the catwalk where she just was. She started to run as more shots were fired.

Metal shattered as Knuckles' fists tore apart mechs. Rouge, beside him, was kicking furiously, her white boots getting scratched up. Amy swung her hammer with viscious shouts.

The three were backing slowly down a narrow hall as they were relentlessly attacked. It was, in fact, the narrowness of the hall that was keeping them from being overrun. Their strategy was working, and they were drawing attention.

"How long can we hold them off?" Amy asked, slowing walking back.

"As long as we need to," the echidna responded.

Amy certainly hoped so.

The computer screen cracked as Shadow was shoved into it, slicing his back. He flipped on top as R1's fist smashed the screen completely. Shadow turned on his heel, kicking the robot in the head and sending it reeling.

Shadow hopped down to deliver another kick when R1 dropped low, sweeping his legs out. It kicked him in the ribs, sending him rolling into the railing of the catwalk. Shadow pushed himself back up only to be caught in the head. He hit the railing again, but used it to push off of, punching STR1. The robot stumbled back.

Sonic ran across the wall, the bullets from Eggman's machine close behind his heels. He could feel the heat from them, their sound nearly drowning out the doctor's laughter. He kept glancing behind him, searching for a penetration. Truthfully, though, in his current situation and location, there wasn't much he could do. He had to wait until Eggman dropped his guard. He had plenty of experience fighting Eggman; it wasn't that that had him concerned. It was the openness of the bomb and the others. They had to blow up the EGG and get out of there.

Storm darted to the side as another shot was fired at her. Ducking a bullet, she dashed forward and swept the Commander's legs out. He dropped to the catwalk with a metallic bang. Storm turned on her heel, kicking the wrist that held the gun. It was knocked from his grasp, falling into the darkness below.

Snarling, he yanked a knife from his belt, swiping at her as he got up. Storm eyed him, a grin on her face.

"Sorry, Commander," she said, "but you're no match for me. I'm stronger and faster."

He held the knife in front of him. "All it takes is for you to make one false move. And I'll have this rammed into your ribs, or through your skull. Maybe I'll slit your wrist."

She grimaced, moving cautiously back so she could keep the bomb in her peripheral vision. "Ouch. But maybe I'll dodge the attack. I'm awfully tough to kill, you know."

The Commander growled in frustration. "You're an abomination! You and Shadow both! You should have never been created!"

"You're one to talk!" she shouted back. "You're a monster! You kept me locked up in prison for _years! _And now you're after Shadow! He was Maria's _best friend, _and if you want to avenge her death as much as you say, then you'd go after the people who are actually _responsible!" _She gave a short laugh, cocking a grin. "Oh wait, that's GUN."

He shouted in anger, charging her. She dodged the knife swipes, the blade so close she could feel the wind of it passing. She backed toward the wall, her entire body on alert. The blade slit open her white glove, clinking off the silver ring that encircled her wrist. The three matches she was carrying fell through the slit and onto the ground.

The Commander crushed them with his foot, laughing darkly. Storm shifted her weight to deliver a kick when she heard the sound of rapid bullet fire. She whipped around to see Sonic rushing down the wall to them, Eggman in a machine close behind.

"Run!" Sonic shouted, dropping down to the catwalk with a bang.

Storm turned on her heel when she heard the whistle of the knife. She dropped, the blade just barely scratching her ear. She delivered a sharp elbow into the Commander's head when pain burned in her leg. Crying out, she dropped, holding where the bullet had hit her.

Sonic glanced back anxiously. The Commander was unconscious, and one of Eggman's plasma bullets had hit Storm's leg. He looked ahead and saw the bomb several yards away. He had to blow up the EGG, _now. _

Glancing to make sure R1 was still preoccupied with Shadow on the other side of the room, he reached into his glove and pulled out one match. Crouching lower, he shot forward, Eggman's bullets hot on his heels. Sonic reached the explosive and wrapped one arm around it, grunting from its weight. Jumping up, he bounced off the wall and flipped over Eggman's hover craft. While upside down, he struck the match against the side, lighting it.

Sonic moved the match to the fuse on his way down, when Eggman's boot shot out and kicked him in the back. He hit the metal ground roughly, the dead match falling from one hand and the bomb rolling away from the other. He pushed himself to his hands and knees, reaching in his glove for another match. They weren't there.

Gasping, he saw where they'd fallen out just in front of him. He reached forward, but yanked his hand quickly back as a bullet shot the matches.

Eggman laughed. "Hahaha! What are you going to do now, little hedgehog?"

"Knuckles, this is ridiculous, we can't keep holding them off," Amy said as they continuously backed down the narrow hall.

"Yes we can!" the echidna roared.

Rouge glanced behind them, spotting a door. "Let's go through there. That'll give us a moment to regroup."

They backed up quickly, and Rouge opened the door. The three slipped in, Knuckles shutting it quickly. He grabbed a chair and jammed the handle. "That won't hold them for very long."

Rouge nodded, turning to survey the room. "Maybe there's something in here we can . . ." She trailed off, taking in the small security room. Screens from all the cameras were blank on one side. On the other held a computer that displayed information on the mechs. The bat went up to it, her heels clicking against the metal floor and the blue light from the screen shining in her eyes.

"What is it?" Amy asked, hefting her hammer to one shoulder.

Rouge sat down at the chair, staring up at the screen. "This has all Eggman's information concerning his army and the creation of the mechs. He must have the key to switching them all off through here."

Knuckles glanced back at her doubtfully. "Yeah, right. What makes you think that?"

"Because," the replied, beginning to type, "I use to work for him when I was on my mission to spy on Shadow. He always has a way to shut all his robots off at once. It's a safety measure, in case something went wrong or someone else got control of them."

"Do you think you can shut them off, then?" Amy asked.

"Maybe."

Amy's com around her wrist beeped, and Tails voice said, "Amy, are you there?"

"We're here, Tails," she responded. "We're in a security room. We were getting pummeled out there."

"We are out here, too," the fox responded. "I don't know how much longer the X Tornado can last. I'm getting overrun."

"Hang on, Tails," the pink hedgehog told him. "Rouge thinks she found a way to shut off all the mechs."

Shadow cried out as R1's metal foot connected with his head, sending him flying. He hit the ground and rolled over a few times. The foot connected with his ribs, throwing him back into the wall. He bounced off of it, falling to the ground.

Shadow pushed himself to his feet, clenching his jaw. Pain racked through his body, but he ignored it. R1 came at him, turning into a kick. He ducked, dropping to kick at its ankles. The robot jumped over the attack, swinging an elbow. Shadow blocked it with his forearm, delivering a punch to his enemy's midsection.

R1 stumbled back, then turned into a series of kicks, the last one catching Shadow in the side. The black hedgehog stumbled, sloppily blocking the next punch. R1 tackled him, shoving him roughly down. His head bounced off the metal, the noise ringing in his ears. The robot pinned him down, punching his face a few times.

Shadow's vision swam as he struggled under the steely hold. His arms were pinned to his sides. He glared up at his opponent, his red eyes flashing.

R1 chuckled. "Come on now, Shadow, don't play games. I know you're tougher than this."

Growling, Shadow kicked his legs up, wrapping them around STR1's neck. He yanked the robot backward, sliding out from under its hold. On his knees, Shadow spun around for a round kick, striking R1 in the head. He got to his feet and kicked out, his heel connecting to a shoulder.

"Shadow!"

The Ultimate Life Form glanced over to see Sonic racing toward him around the outer catwalk, followed closely by Eggman.

The blue hedgehog grinned. "Wanna trade?"

Shadow flashed a dark grin in response, then turned back to R1. He knocked a fist wide, then ducked an elbow. He slammed his palms into his enemy's midsection, making the robot stumble. He heard Sonic just behind him and leaped up, flipping over and onto Eggman's machine as Sonic slammed into the robot.

Eggman cried out in alarm, raising his fists to defend himself.

Sonic had his hands around the robots metal throat, rushing forward with all his might. R1 got its wits back and clamped down on the blue hedgehog's wrists. Sonic shouted at the pain. He had a sinking feeling of despair and knew he was beat, even before R1 hurled him into the wall and he blacked out.

Shadow grabbed Eggman's collar and lifted him out of the seat, even as the hovercraft whizzed around the large room.

"Sh-Sh-Shadow," the doctor stuttered, trying to come up with something to stall the hedgehog.

Shadow's red eyes narrowed as he pulled Eggman's face closer to his own. "You're lucky I don't kill you." Then he threw him to the ground and jumped off as the machine crashed into the wall, exploding.

He glanced over at Eggman's unconscious body, then to where Sonic was. He jolted, eyes widening. The blue hedgehog lay limp on the ground, and R1 was nowhere to be seen.

"Shadow."

He spun around and saw Storm on the floor, holding her bloody leg. The Commander's body was a few feet back.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded quickly. "Hurry, light the explosive!"

He frowned, looking around. "Where's-?"

The breath was knocked from him as he was tackled, Storm's scream echoing in the room. He hit the metal walk roughly, rolling over and over as he grappled with the robot. They collided into the wall, Shadow's neck snapping back and then forward from the force.

R1 punched him in the face, causing a gash above his eye. Shadow pulled his legs into his chest and kicked the robot away, doing a kip-up to his feet.

"Shadow, light the bomb!" Storm screamed again.

The Ultimate Life Form shot glances around the room and located the explosive a few yards away. He made a dash for it, only for STR1 to grab his ankle, making him fall forward. Catching himself on his hands, he kicked the robot with his other foot, freeing himself. Scrambling to his feet, he ran again.

He blinked blood away from his eye as the wall flashed past him, the echo of his footsteps loud in his ears. His body hurt, but he pushed the pain from his mind. The bomb in his sights, he felt R1 approaching quickly. Shadow dropped, the robot's kick sailing harmlessly over his head. He slid the last few feet and stopped next to the explosive, reaching in his glove for a match.

R1 was on him, kicking him in the head. Shadow spun in place, sweeping his opponent's legs out. He turned back to the bomb when a metal arm locked around his neck, choking him. He reached out, striking the match against the side of the explosive. A tiny flame brightened the end.

The hedgehog stretched his arm as far as he could, but he couldn't reach the fuse on the bomb. R1 pulled him further back, cutting off his air supply. Shadow's eyes widened as the match went out, dead.

He reached into his glove, getting another one out. With his free hand he gripped R1's arm and, steadying his feet under him, threw himself back. They both slammed into the walkway with a loud bang. Shadow drove his elbow back and heard a crack as one of the robot's shining eyes broke. Pieces of the glass stung his elbow, but he didn't care.

Turning around, he struck the match against STR1's body, lighting it. He jumped over to the bomb and lit the fuse, picking it up. He turned to the edge of the walkway only to see the robot in his way, staring at him out of one eye.

"No," it said simply.

Shadow snarled, baring his teeth. "Yes." He threw the bomb into the air and spun on the ball of his foot, striking a kick into the robot's blind side. He kept the turn continuing, driving an elbow into its face and then another kick to its chest.

It fell back against the railing. Shadow saw the bomb falling back down at the edge of his vision and jumped up. He snapped a kick into the explosive as it came even with him, sending it forward and into R1. Both went sailing off the edge and disappeared into the darkness.

Shadow slumped forward on the railing, peering over into the shadows. His breathing came out heavily as he waited. There was a rumble, then a burst of light and heat as the bomb exploded. The force threw Shadow back and he hit the outside wall, dropping to the ground. Curling up, he covered his ears at the thunderous noise. The walkway shook under him, and he had a momentary fear that it would break apart.

But it didn't. The thunder subsided into a rumble and then vanished all together. Shadow cautiously took his gloved hands away, looking around. Heavy smoke drifted up from the blackness below him.

"Shadow," Tails voice came from his com, filled with excitement. "Shadow?"

The Ultimate Life Form cleared his throat before responding. "Yes, Tails? We're all here, we're okay."

"That was amazing! I saw it explode!"

The black hedgehog's breath caught in his throat. "The EGG is gone? The bomb worked?"

"Heck yeah it did!"

Joy washed through Shadow, causing him to slump back against the wall, a small smile on his face. He gazed at the smoke as he said, "Are you all right?"

"We're all fine," Tails responded. "Rouge shut down all the mechs, so it should be an easy journey out for you guys. We'll meet you in the hanger."

"Sounds good, thanks, Tails."

"No problem."

Shadow shut off the com and glanced to the side. He saw Storm sitting up, still holding her leg. She stared back at him, her red eyes alight and a wide smile on her face. He smiled back and clicked to connect to Rouge on his com.

"Hey, honey," Rouge's voice sounded. "Am I brilliant or what? I-"

"Tails told me," Shadow chuckled. "Could you guys come to where we are? We have some unconscious bodies that need to be dragged into the X Tornado."

"Sure thing, be there soon."

Shadow shut off his com again, and turned back to Storm. She winked, and, although he thought it was a bit uncouth for him, he winked, too.

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**Next is the Epilogue! **


	25. Epilogue

**Decided to add an Epilogue onto this. I was reading back through this story the other day – because I'm cool like that – and noticed that it did wrap things up a little too quickly. I wanted to re-work that. 8D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic**

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**Epilogue**

Shadow headed down the white halls, the fluorescent lights reflecting in his red eyes. He had a bouquet of red and black roses in one hand, the aroma of which he thought smelled so good that it was a shame to part with them.

It was three days since Eggman had been defeated aboard the ARK and his subversive Eclipse Cannon had been destroyed. After the battle had been finished, the group had tied up the unconscious Eggman and Commander and then all filed into the X Tornado. Tails had flown them back to the planet as quickly as possible, but it still took several hours. Many of them had been wounded, and first aid had been applied immediately. Shadow had found himself bruised and bloodied, but nothing too serious. He _was _the Ultimate Life Form, after all. He'd been more concerned about where Storm had been shot in the leg. But after it had been wrapped secure enough until they got to a hospital, she had assured him she would be fine. She _was _his prototype, after all.

Once they had reached the Alpha base on the planet, they had turned Eggman and the Commander in and news had quickly spread of what they'd done. What had resulted was lots of celebration while the GUN soldiers were sent out eliminate any lingering mechs and begin the process of rebuilding much of the world. It had only been three days, and Shadow knew that they were still carrying out that mission. It would take time, but soon, things would be back to normal.

He had only needed a short visit to the hospital to patch himself up. Something he disliked very much. But since all the rest of friends were going, he had gotten bamboozled into it, too. Storm had been detained there so that her leg could be monitored. But she was being released today and Shadow was going to pick her up.

He couldn't help but smile as he turned the corner to her room, eager to spend time with her again.

"Shadow!" she exclaimed, sitting in the bed with her legs hanging over the edge. "How dare you come by unannounced!"

He laughed, stepping into small and square room. It had a few chairs in it, ones that had been temporarily occupied by Sonic and friends when they'd gone to visit her. Sonic himself had had to spend longer in the hospital than the rest of them – save Storm – and kept complaining the entire time.

"I told you I'd be picking you up," he stated.

"You're a few hours early."

"I always am."

She grinned, her red eyes dropping to the flowers. "For me?"

"Yes." He held them out. "As a Recover Quick present."

She took them, looking them over with shining eyes. "Beautiful. Just like you."

Shadow felt his face burning and he gave her a shy smile. "Are you, um, ready to leave?"

She reached for a single crutch beside the bed, waving it melodramatically. "They told me I have to use this for at least a week so I don't put too much pressure on my leg. Can you handle such a slow pace?"

He bit his lip, suppressing a laugh. "I'll be fine."

She hopped from the bed, using the crutch to support herself, the roses in her other hand. "Do you know where everyone else is?"

"Helping GUN, I believe. There's much rebuilding to do."

She cocked one brow. "Is that what you want to do?"

He shook his head emphatically, smirking. "You know how much I hate GUN."

"True," she laughed. "I'm just glad the Commander is going to get what he deserves. And Eggman."

They both turned and headed out of the room, Shadow replying, "I agree. Though I wouldn't count on the doctor staying in prison for too long. He always escapes."

She heaved a sigh, shaking her head. "Let's not talk about them, or GUN, or responsibilities. Let's just talk about you and me. Now that I can waddle out of this hospital, let's go get a quick dinner followed by an action-packed movie, and then late-night ice-cream. Double-dip chocolate."

One red brow rose. "How long have you planned this out?"

"Since five minutes ago. You in?"

He smiled – a pure, genuine one that reached his eyes and answered, "Sure, why not?"

**The End**

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**Ah, sad to see this story finished. Anytime I put an OC in a fanfic, I'm nervous as to how the audience will react. After all, it's not my OC they came to read about! Thanks for all of you taking a chance on my story! I've only gotten positive feedback about Storm, and I'm so thankful for it! **

**I do intend to write more Sonic fanfictions, hopefully ones that will also include Storm. Right now I'm dry on ideas, and I have my time preoccupied with other projects. But when I do set up the laptop and begin a new Sonic adventure, I look forward to seeing you all again! Thanks for the support! **

**God bless, and see ya! **

**Allendra**


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